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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!
Feb 5
Monarch Wintering Days
Monarch Butterfly
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
~ "The Butterfly", Hans Christian Andersen, 1861
And dancing! Don't forget the dancing!
One of the most recognizable and flashiest of large butterflies, the aptly named Monarch is worthy of this tribute dance devised by Marilyn Stocker, who writes:
"The dance was devised after the meeting to choose the 1994 Asilomar Ball dances. Since Pacific Grove is the home of not only Asilomar but also the Monarch butterfly, the named seemed appropriate. The Muriel Johnstone music has that busy motion that reminds one of the motion of butterflies!"
This butterfly-busy reel mimics the seemingly random path of a butterfly in flight, with petronellas, meanwhiles, and arches!
Each year, tens of millions of monarch butterflies migrate up to 3,000 miles southward from cold northeastern United States and Canada down to warmer climes in Mexico's Highlands.
They have several favourite rest stops on the way. In California, some Monarchs cut their journey short and overwinter in the Eucalyptus and pine trees in Butterfly Grove, Pismo Beach and Pacific Grove, home of the aforesaid Asilomar Scottish Dance weekend. The monarchs, return every year and can be viewed sleeping in the thousands together in their favourite trees.
Similarly, devoted dancers travel worldwide in autumn to dance at the historic conference grounds, situated a skip-step from the ocean on California's Pacific coastline next to the historic towns of Monterey and Salinas, made famous as the setting of "Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men" 20th century Pulitzer prize winner John Steinbeck (who framed the latter novel from the title and theme of Robert Burns' famous poem.
In both caterpillar and butterfly form, monarchs warn off predators with their own tartan equivalent — blazing fields of color crisply divided by bold black lines — nature’s unmistakable signal: “Unpleasant. Proceed at your peril.”
So kilt or sash up in your flashiest tartan for this dance, dancers! Let those high-contrast hues do the talking. In the spirit of the monarch, your colors should clearly warn dancing friends (albeit pleasantly): “Approach with caution — this reel may contain sharp turns, sharper footwork, and absolutely no apologies.” 🧡 🖤 🤍 🧡 👑 🦋 🦋 🦋
Monarch Butterfly
One of the most spectacular sights on the California West Coast are the sudden appearance of the Western Monarch Butterflies on their journeys to more than 200 overwintering sites up and down the California coast.
One of their special resting places is in Pacific Grove, California, in the Monterey Bay on the Pacific Coast, close to the home of The Red Thistle Dancers.
The monarch is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do. Unlike other butterflies that can overwinter as larvae, pupae, or even as adults in some species, monarchs cannot survive the cold winters of northern climates. Using environmental cues, the monarchs know when it is time to travel south for the winter. Monarchs use a combination of air currents and thermals to travel long distances, some as far as 3,000 miles.
Monarchs travel only during the day and need to find a roost at night. Monarchs gather close together during the cool autumn evenings at roost sites which are used year after year. Often pine, fir and cedar trees are chosen for roosting. These trees have thick canopies that moderate the temperature and humidity at the roost site. In the mornings, monarchs bask in the sunlight to warm themselves.
Click the picture of basking monarchs below (photo by Michael Yang) to learn more about migrating Monarchs and their life cycle in a short video.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
