Welcome to SDCS

Always welcoming new members and encouraging potential new members to try out our classes before joining. Have fun and help your fitness all at once! 

Beginners and improvers class starts at 7pm and main class at 8pm. Hot drinks provided, but you must bring your own cup/mug please.  We also ask dancers to hand sanitise after each dance. The room will have windows open for ventilation. 

Programme for 2022 / 23 season

President's Evening (Members & invited guests) 14th October, Penkridge Peace Memorial Hall, 7pm.

2024 Dates: 

Burn's evening (members & invited guests) Wednesday 24th January 2024;  Annual Ball Saturday 17th February 2024. Ticket event. 

We are a Scottish Dancing and Social Group who meet weekly at North End Community Centre, Holmcroft Road, Stafford, ST16 1JG, UK.

Our dance classes are on Wednesday evenings, starting with our Beginners and Improvers class from 19:00 - 20:00, followed by our normal class from 20:00 - 22:00. Beginners are encouraged to stay for our main class as well at no extra cost.

Our membership charge is just £10 for the year and each evening from 19:00 - 22:00 costs just £3. (Due to COVID, please bring your own cup/mug and biscuits. We will provide tea or coffee).

Scottish Country Dancing includes jigs, reels and the slower strathspey dances, usually in "sets" of 3 or more couples, but you don't need to find your own dancing partner. All our members dance with each other and the ladies who are experienced dancers are able to dance in either a lady or a gentleman's position.  We have many members who come along on their own as well as friends and couples.

Beginners will be surprised to find how quickly they are able to be taken through full dances  -  we always walk through every dance, even in our normal classes from 20:00, so there's no need to worry, just have fun.

Learning to do the steps properly comes with a bit of time and practice at the beginners and improvers class. Everyone is helped through the dances and you don't have to be step perfect.

Want to keep fit? Want something that is fun to help you get fit?...... and all in a welcoming and friendly environment   -- then please come along for a couple of trial sessions. You don't need to join formally straight away. There have been articles published in the British Medical Journal on the benefits of dancing and one specifically mentions Scottish Country Dancing  

Footwear and clothing: For our weekly classes, you just need to wear something you are comfortable in and can move freely in. Men do not wear kilts to our weekly class. You will need some lightweight footwear, such as pumps or trainers. You don't have to get any special footwear until you want to.

Our President's and Burn's evenings and Annual Ball, we tend to dress up a bit more. You will see the difference in our Gallery Photo's.

Other Events and Activities

Throughout the year we also have other dancing events and social activities:

  • Summer Programme  - June 19:30 - 22:00 at North End Community Centre and occasionally we have Lawn Evenings with pool suppers. See details at the top of this page.
  • Burns Supper - January each year on the Wendesday closest to 25th January. We have a traditional Haggis (including vegetatian option), tatties and neeps, apple pie with cream and coffee/tea and shortbread. There is also wine or soft drinks available. As well as a meal, we have short, traditional speeches and dancing before and after supper. This is a pre-booked event, price set December of the year before.
  • Annual Ball, with a live band (venue TBA), usually around the 3rd Saturday in February. We also have a charity raffle and a lovely buffet supper. Ticket event. Price publicised from September of the year before.
  • President's Evening, normally a Mid-November Wednesday or Saturday. This is a free event for members and invited guests from other Societies.
  • There are exchange evenings with an English Dancing Group and even a group of Spanish visitors join us every other year, all ending with a "pool" supper. However, during COVID we each have to provide our own buffet and cannot share. 
  • Twice each year, early Summer and early December, we meet for an afternoon tea. Venues and prices are advised in advance.
  • We also visit other Societies for their Social Dances.

 

Upcoming Events....