News May 2026

Welcome to
The Centrepiece
Next : Saturday 25th July 2026
@ 19:30pm UK TIME

Dear Dancers,

With summer really starting to warm us here in Scotland, I’ve been enjoying the sweet smell of gorse on my local walks by the river and more recently I’ve been walking along the beach. The sand has been beautiful to walk on, especially in the sunshine those simple moments in nature can be so restorative.

I’ve just returned from Ireland, where I danced with Friedel and Saskia Kloke, alongside the Irish dancers who train with them. Before the training began, I arrived early to stay at Dalgan Park Missionary. I was kindly invited to dine with the priests there, who were incredibly welcoming, and I really appreciated the conversations we shared about their life mission and work. One priest even approached me because we shared the same family name, and he knew quite a lot about where my family came from, a very interesting and unexpected connection.

The days of dancing with Friedel were, as always, very enriching. Although I don’t always remember every step perfectly, and travelling can leave me tired during training, I realised how much of the dances and teachings have stayed with me over the years. I’m very glad I went, as I knew I needed to refresh my memory on several dances. Training with Friedel is always a pleasure, and I truly appreciate every opportunity spent learning together. It was also lovely to walk through the grounds of the mission, seeing the wildlife and the river Boyne nearby. The food was excellent too, which always helps after long days of dancing!

Afterwards, I travelled on to Tipperary with a friend from the training who kindly offered me a lift. The ecovillage at Cloughjordan was far more than I expected, I had imagined something much smaller, but it was such a vibrant and inspiring place, beautifully integrated with the local community.

Elaine Kelly and her family were wonderful hosts and organised everything so thoughtfully. I truly enjoyed my time with them. Orla, Elaine’s daughter, is a fantastic dancer, and I can already see that both of them are going to become excellent Circle Dance teachers.

Over a day and a half, I had the chance to teach the group some basics: introducing dances suitable for starting sessions, sharing a little history and notation, and giving participants opportunities to practise teaching themselves. The whole group did so well, and I feel the time spent there will stay with me for a long time. My heartfelt thanks go to Elaine Kelly and her family for their kindness and hospitality.

If you ever get the chance to visit Cloughjordan, I would certainly recommend it there is so much happening there and a real sense of community spirit.

My journey home went smoothly, and I enjoyed spending a day with family in Edinburgh. We had some lovely food, a walk around the city, visited my favourite public house, Shakespeare’s, and stopped at the Lyceum Theatre for coffee. It was special simply to spend time chatting together before heading home again.

Back here in Findhorn, the Dancing Green made for a lovely cosy Saturday dance gathering, It was nice to dance in the open air with sun on our faces. I have a few days before I once more to travel to Germany to continue training with Friedel!

I’ll also be home in time for our online Seated Serenade. Also next month I’ll be offering an in person community session exploring a few seated dances together.

I hope all is well with you and that you are enjoying dancing in the sunshine.

Let’s also look ahead to the upcoming World Circle Dance Day celebrations, have you got your circle ready to dance?

With hugs from Scotland,

Brant

PS: If you enjoy our Centrepiece evenings and feel able to contribute, thank you, your support helps us continue sharing these dances and gatherings. Donate here