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NGI Recipient: Greg Skidmore

Session Attended: CDS Boston Centre - English Scottish Session (2012)

This NGI scholarship provided me with an opportunity to get a taste of one of the few folk dance styles I had yet to try. I had occasionally done English dance but I had never done Scottish until now. English Scottish Session was a completely new way to experience pinewoods and it was not only a chance to learn new dances but also to make new friends. I enjoyed the welcoming community and the friends I made there.

As for the dancing, not only were the teachers informative, but also a lot of fun to dance with. I learned quite a bit of Scottish which once I got the gist of it was very fun to do and to learn. I was also glad to see morris taking a strong part in the session which I was not expecting at all. The parties were fun and quite different from what I was used to at pinewoods. The music however was what truly made it a great week. All the musicians were very talented and quite capable of rousting a crowd up for each dance.

Overall English Scottish Session was a new experience for me, and at first I was apprehensive about going. But once I was immersed in the thick of it, I had a great week and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thank you very much for choosing me to receive this scholarship. I can assure you I took full advantage of it.