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NGI Recipient: Theresa Conn

Session Attended: Royal Scottish Country Dance Society - Scottish Session I (2012)

Pinewoods has been an integral part of my summers since I was a child. My Mom and I made a pilgrimage to English Scottish Session and First Weekend every year. Pinewoods has always been a special place for me; it’s a refuge where the stressful “real” world is put away for a few days and is replaced by fiddles, delicious food, and friends that are just waiting to be met. I always heard my mother and godmother talk about the notorious Scottish Session, which they both had a history of attending and running. Although I loved every trip to Pinewoods, Scottish Session always has been the holy grail over the horizon… the 18 year old age requirement kept me away, but also added to the appeal of it.

Scottish Dancing was always my favorite part of ESS. However, in the past few years, I’ve drifted away from it… college got in the way. I started doing more contra dancing and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with all the Scottish… boy, was I wrong! It was like riding a bike, and although I was rusty, everyone at Pinewoods was super friendly and helpful. The music was amazing and the dancing was awesome. The classes helped me improve my technique, and I felt supported every step of the way.

One of my favorite things about Scottish Session was the community. Everyone was approachable and eager to make the session a success. Scottish Session was as amazing as I thought it would be, and I’m sure I’ll be back again for many summers to come!

Thank you so much for this opportunity. I would not have been able to afford this experience without the NGI scholarship!