Scottish Country Dance of the Day

Happy Canada Day, Canadian dancers and friends! Celebrate with this favourite rant and create your own fireworks in dance form with this lively reel containing a circular "Spoke" figure, setting and joining hands with all four corners! This dance by an unknown devisor has an interesting provenance! This dance was collected in Carnoustie, Scotland, by Betty Grant. It was written out by a local dancer on a paper towel from the men’s washroom at the Beach Ballroom. The dance was said to have been brought to Glasgow by a Canadian visitor in 1952 – ’53. Thank you, Betty! Somewhat earlier, Alexander Muir's poem "The Maple Leaf Forever" was written in 1867. This year is particularly significant as it marks the confederation of Canada, when the country was unified into one dominion within the British Empire. Muir composed the song to celebrate this momentous occasion, and it quickly became a popular patriotic anthem in Canada. 🍁 🍁 🍁 🇨🇦 🍁 🍁 🍁

Happy Canada Day to all dancing friends and family!

Today we celebrate the history, heritage, and enduring spirit of a nation stretching from sea to sea. Marked with family gatherings, fireworks, music, or dancing, Canada Day celebrates the people, traditions, and stories that have shaped Canada for more than 150 years!

The Constitution Act of July 1, 1867, marks the day the three British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada united to form a single country known as the Dominion of Canada. Although the nation would continue to grow as additional provinces and territories joined Confederation, July 1 has remained Canada's national birthday!

No Canada Day celebration would be complete without a heartfelt rendition of "O Canada." The stirring melody was composed by Calixa Lavallée in 1880, with the original French lyrics written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations in Québec City. The familiar English lyrics most Canadians know today were penned by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908 and have undergone several revisions over the years. "O Canada" served as the country's de facto national anthem from 1939 before being officially proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980, as part of that year's Dominion Day celebrations.

Scottish country dancers can celebrate the occasion with a namesake dance, "O Canada," a 32-bar reel for five couples in a square set, devised by Dorothy Hargreaves of North Vancouver. Dorothy created the dance for Scottish country dancers gathering in Vancouver's beautiful Stanley Park on Canada Day, July 1, 2014. The dance concludes with an eight-bar progression, as described by Sue Petyt and Jane Gammon in Fisherman's Reel! "Oh" and "O"! 🕺 💃 ❤️ 🤍 ❤️ 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🥳 🎆 🎆 🎆

Happy Birthday, United States! Elizabeth Griscom "Betsy" Ross (1752 – 1836) also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn and Claypoole, is widely credited with making the first American flag. According to family tradition, upon a visit from General George Washington in 1776, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, Ross changed the shape of the stars he had sketched for the flag from six-pointed to five-pointed by demonstrating on the spot that it was not difficult to cut the latter. ❤️ 🤍 💙 🎆 🇺🇸