The Newsletter of the Callanish School of Celtic Arts
Dear Students and Parents,
The end of the year is quickly approaching! Our 6th Annual Winter Solstice Ceilidh will be held on Saturday, December 14th. Please invite all your friends and family to take part in our evening of fun. The instructors of the Callanish School are very proud of the accomplishments of their students over the past year. Have a wonderful Holiday Season!
Nollaig chridheil agus bliadhna mhath ùr (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year),
Mòran Taing,
Maggie Carchrie
Winter Solstice Ceilidh
The 6th annual Winter Solstice Ceilidh will take place on Saturday, December 14th from 5:30-8 PM at the West Barnstable Community Building, Route 149, W. Barnstable. All dance students and interested fiddle and Gaelic students will show-off what they have learned during the fall semester. The performance will be followed by awards, a pot-luck supper (bring anything you want) and Secret Snowflake for the kids. There will a table designated for the Secret Snowflake gifts. The gift should cost about $10 and only the recipient’s name should be written on it. The children will open their gifts after supper. New dance students will be given their costumes to borrow the week of December 9th. All borrowed costumes must be returned either at the ceilidh or by the last day of lessons before Christmas.
Ceilidh Details
Please arrive dressed for the ceilidh. It is important that you arrive no later than 5:15 so that the ceilidh can start promptly at 5:30. Here is the night’s line up:
- Irish Jig: Morgan, Eliza, Erika, Iona, Emma, Vicky
- Hornpipe: Larissa
- Pas de Basques: Jill, Eleanor, Kea, Courcelle, Abigail B.
- Sword Dance: Emily, Brianna, Marisa, Colleen W., Caitlin, Natasha, Katherine
- Flora: Morgan, Iona, Emma
- Lilt: James, Nathan, Alana, Cassidy
- Fiddle Duet: Abigail H-H and Sean Kortis
- Pas de Basques & HC: Jill, Eleanor, Kea, Courcelle, Abigail B.
- Strathspey and Reel: Abigail H-H, Emma, Erika & Eliza
- Sword Dance: Jill & Eleanor
- Blue Bonnets: Larissa
- Fiddle Solo: Caleb Paus
- Step Dance: Morgan, Eliza, Erika, Iona, Emma
- Earl of Errol: Larissa
- Fiddle Solo: Caleb Paus
- Highland Fling: Vicky, Abigail H-H, James, Nathan, Alana, Cassidy
- Choreography: Morgan, Eliza, Iona, Emma, Vicky
Tuition Due
Tuition for the winter semester for dance students in W. Barnstable and Yarmouthport is due by your last lesson in December. Please note that there is a slight change to the past. There will now be a $10 registration fee each semester to help defray the rising administrative costs. Also, the semester will now go until the end of April instead of stopping before April School vacation. Tuition for fiddle students is due by January 1st.
Make-Up Lessons Slated
Make-up lessons for the fall semester for W. Barnstable and Yarmouthport dance students will be held on Monday, December 30th at the WBCB. A list of eligible students will be handed out the last day of class before Christmas. The schedule for the 30th is as follows:
- 2-2:45 PM Jill and Eleanor
- 3-4 PM Scottish Dance II
- 4-5 PM Scottish Dance III
- 4-5:15 PM Intermediate Highland Dance
Make Up lessons for fiddle will be held on Tuesday, December 17th. As always, students who did not miss a lesson but who would like to get an extra lesson in may do so by paying the appropriate fee.
Callanish Items for Sale
There are still plenty of Callanish Items for Sale for that special someone at the holidays. Please let Maggie know if you are interested in anything and she will bring it to class.
- T-Shirts: $12/$15
- Adult Sweat Shirts: $25
- Hats: $15
- Wallace Beannie Buddies: $12
- Rù-Rà CDs: $15
- “Songs the Mermaid Sang” CDs: $15
- “Champion’s Choice”, CD for competition: $16
Gaelic Lessons Slated
Beginning in January, Thomas Leigh will begin a new Gaelic I class at the Sandwich Community School. The class will meet from 6:00-7:30 PM beginning on Tuesday, January 7th.
Callanish Winter Fling Update
Things are well underway for our 2nd annual Callanish Winter Fling. We will be having a raffle in conjunction with Saturday’s competition to help defray our costs. Please consider donating an item yourself or getting a restaurant or shop to donate something. I have copies of the HLSS tax exempt status if you would like a copy when approaching stores. All donations will be tax deductible. Also, there are lots of jobs that still need to be filled. Please see Maggie if you are interested in helping out of Saturday, January 25th!
Change of Dress Code
Beginning in January, all female dance students will be required to wear leotard and tights during lessons. Dancer sweaters and shorts are also permitted. Two good sources for finding inexpensive dance wear are:
A full handbook of Callanish policies will be handed out in January.
Directions to the W. Barnstable Community Building
- Take the Mid Cape Highway to Exit 5
- Take Rt 149 heading towards Route 6A/W. Barnstable
- The building is approximately 1 mile up on the left, just after the fire station and adjacent to Walden Library. If you come to Route 6A, you’ve gone too far.
Upcoming Events
| 14 December | Winter Solstice Ceilidh, WBCB 5:30 PM |
| 25 January | Burns Night, HLSS, TBA |
| 25-26 January | Callanish Winter Fling, Cape Cod Community College, W. Barnstable |
| 14-16 February | DELCO Workshop, King of Prussia, PA |
| 27 April | St. Andrews Society of MA Spring Event - Time and location TBA |
Need more info on festivals? See the official Highland Games web site at: www.maclachlans.org/games.html