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Enjoy this curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
A sighting of the Loch Ness Monster
May 2
Loch Ness Monster Day
Kissed by Nessie
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"I am convinced that Nessie believes in us even if we don't believe in her."
~ Sir Peter Scott
May 2 - Scottish Country Dance of the Day, "Kissed by Nessie" for Loch Ness Monster Day! 💚 🖤 💚 🕺 💃 🐉 🐉 🐉
"I am convinced that Nessie believes in us even if we don't believe in her."
~ Sir Peter Scott
In the spring, a young cryptid's hunter's fancy turns to ... Nessie and .... eels?!
The devisor, Edwin Werner, who conceived this 32 bar reel for 3 cryptid-hunting couples in a 4 couple set writes:
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There probably isn’t a more Scottish theme than the Loch Ness Monster and although there are already many dances working out this theme, it was a thorough DNA research, led by excellent scientists in 2018, which formed the basis for devising this one. The researchers forwarded the conclusion that no DNA of extravagant monsters could be found, but the existence of eels, especially ones of extreme size, seems to be likely. So: Nessie, as an eel of extreme size, does exist! Links between snakes and eels aren’t very strong, there is some relatedness though: the Latin word for eel, which is anguilla, is the diminutive form of the Latin word for snake, which is anguis.
The devisor wished to utilize an existing formation but with the corners (similar to the 3C (‘chaperoned’) chain progression in the dance Forty and Counting), and the snake pass figure turned out to be one. For this dance, it was initially called the ‘Nessie pass’.
After the 16-bar snake pass figure with corners for the last eight bars, i.e. rights and lefts on the diagonal, presented themselves ‘almost automatically’.
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Well there you have it!
Each year, thousands of visitors flock to Loch Ness, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive water-beast. As her reputation over the centuries has mellowed, if you do meet her or an eel of unusual size, give her a proper salutation, if not a kiss, at least a proper bow or curtsey! You never know! 💚 🖤 💚 🕺 💃 💋 🐉 🐉 🐉
Kissed by Nessie
Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be claimed today.
It is believed that many sightings can be best explained by known animals such as oarfish, whales, or sharks (in particular, the frilled shark). Some cryptozoologists have suggested that the sea serpents are relict plesiosaurs, mosasaurs or other Mesozoic marine reptiles, an idea often associated with lake monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster.
For a Nessie-coloured, layered cocktail that's sure to increase sightings and send you reeling, try the following or watch the video below:
Loch Ness Monster Cocktail or Shots:
1/3 oz Midori melon liqueur - for the color Nessie should be
1/3 oz Bailey's Irish cream - for St. Columba's Irish roots
1/3 oz Jagermeister herbal liqueur - to hallucinate a sea monster
Layer into a glass in the above order.
For more on visiting Nessie in her habitat, click the vintage postcard!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
