Enid Fowler and Ward Fleri, Chairman of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society San Diego Branch
Britt O’Grady
Our teacher, Enid Fowler, recently went back to San Diego for the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society’s San Diego Branch which Enid started more than 40 years ago. In addition to the pleasure of seeing old friends and enjoying the music and dancing, Enid had a lovely surprise in that she was presented an award from The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society for outstanding service to Scottish Country Dancing in San Diego which came from The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, signed by the Chairman of the Society in Edinburgh, Scotland. (The Society is allowed to use the word “Royal” since Queen Elizabeth is a patron of the Society.) In addition to teaching beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of Scottish Country Dancing for more than 25 years, directing performances and training aspiring new teachers, Enid also taught at Scottish Dance workshops in Canada, Hawaii, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and throughout California.
Enid and her husband have been dancing together for more than 60 years now. In addition to Scottish Dancing, they have danced with a performance folk dance troupe doing English, Irish, Russian, Serbian, Greek, Mexican, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Polish, German and Philippine dancing and the group made all their own costumes which were researched for authenticity. Here in SaddleBrooke, in addition to the English Country Dancing, they do Ballroom, Latin and Round Dancing which really keeps them going. Enid had previously done a lot of English Country Dancing in England where she was born and raised and also when Gene taught for a year there when he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach there. During that year they did performances with a group called English Miscellany and danced with them in England and Sweden and were privileged to attend a 17th Century English Country Dance Ball in the Assembly Rooms at Bath, where some of the dancing in Pride and Prejudice was filmed. Since Scottish Dancing is a little too demanding for SaddleBrooke residents as it involves a lot of hopping and skipping, Enid started an English Country Dancing class here in SaddleBrooke some years ago.
English Country Dancing is done with a lilting walk and is a less strenuous form of dancing, but it is also done in lines, square and circle formations like the Scottish Country Dancing – the music is great and the dances are lots of fun and we have great camaraderie – so why not give us a try and dance off some of those extra holiday calories? We generally meet at the lovely Vermilion Room at SaddleBrooke One on Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. or we may have been moved to the Craft Room 3 near the Gift Shop at SaddleBrooke One if the Vermilion Room is booked for another activity. It’s best to call ahead if you’re coming for the first time so we can let you know.
Call or email Kay White, 818-9482, [email protected] or Enid, 818-1932, [email protected].
Stop by our table at the Activities Fair on Saturday, January 30 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. to see what it’s all about!