Edmonton Caledonian Country Dance Society (ECCDS)
The Edmonton Caledonian Country Dance Society (ECCDS) has its roots at the University of Alberta Scottish Country Dance Club in the late 1950s, with weekly classes taught by two professors, Peter Barton & Jeff Weston.
The club was incorporated as a Society 1976. In 1978 the Society became an affiliate of the Royal Scottish Dance Society (RSCDS). In 1982 the Society became the Edmonton Caledonian Country Dance Society (ECCDS).
Today we remain primarily a teaching club, furthering the standards set by the RSCDS in 1923.
RSCDS was formed in Glasgow, Scotland, by Miss Jean Milligan and Mrs. Ysobel Stewart. Their concern was two-fold: 1) that Scottish dance would be lost to modern dance forms if not preserved somehow; and 2) to standardize the traditional figures and dances.
Scottish country dances and their music were culled from old manuscripts and papers and from people old enough to remember the ceilidhs held in homes and at social gatherings. Miss Milligan relied, especially, on her own mother’s excellent memory of dances and figures. The first collection of dances was produced shortly after the society’s inception and included The Triumph and Flowers of Edinburgh. All dances were traditional in step and formation, some dating back over 200 years.
In 1953 Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II became the patron of the SCDS, hence the RSCDS. That title is borne proudly today by branches and affiliate member clubs around the world. His Majesty King Charles III is now the Society’s second Royal Patron. The title “Royal” was bestowed by King George VI in 1951, the year before the late Queen’s accession to the throne.