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THE CELTIC CONNECTION • MARCH 1993
Highland Arts Festival
20TH ANNIVERSARY
By ROBERT MacNEIL
VANCOUVER — Sandy Maclntyre, one of Cape Breton's finest fiddlers, will be making his first performing visit to British Columbia at the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band's 1993 Highland Arts Festival.
Well known in Eastern Canada and the Maritimes for his spirited fiddling and step dancing style, which he first introduced on the CBC TV show Ceilidh, he has also delighted audiences in the U.S. and Scotland with his entertaining performances.
The festival includes a wide
range of courses in Highland bagpipes, drumming, pipe bands and Highland dancing. There will be concerts, Ceilidhs, music recitals and dance demonstrations showcasing the many world-class instructors at the festival.
•
The Highland Arts Festival well be held at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. on March 26, 27 and 28. For more information contact Sandy Meston, 968 Mansfield Crescent, Port Coquitlam, B.C. V3B 6H7 or phone (604) 942-5726 or fax (604) 936-8502.
Scottish Country Dance Club
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CeItIC HARpiST AVAiUblE foR
WEddiNqs, Anniversaries,
BiRT^dAyS ANd
SpECiAl Occasions
Sonja O'Connor
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(604) 572 0997
By GERRY STENSGAARD
BURNABY, B.C. — On Saturday, March 13, the Burnaby Scottish Country Dance Club will mark its 20th year with a gala ball which will be held in the Crystal Ballroom of New Westminster's Royal Towers Hotel. The festivities will begin with cocktails at 6 PM followed by dinner. A piper will lead the
?;rand march onto the dance loor. A full program of Scottish country dancing will then commence to the lively music of the Vancouver Fiddle Orchestra under the direction of Mr. Ian Price.
The Burnaby Scottish Country Dance Club traces its beginnings to the autumn of 1972, when the Burnaby class of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Vancouver Branch started up under the auspices of the
Burnaby night school program.
The following year, the members of the class voted to reorganize as an independent club, and in 1974 the club divorced itself from the night school program. Despite the club's independent status, most of the members still belong to and support the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.
Today, the club offers dancing classes at beginner and intermediate levels, and hosts several dance parties each year. Over the years, the Burnaby group has built a reputation for hospitality, good food, and good parties. The club's entertainment team is in demand, particularly on the January "haggis circuit," and the team performs at many hospitals and care homes as well as at private functions.
Scottish country dancing is "the ballroom dancing of Scotland," and is quite distinct from highland dancing. The dances are performed in sets, making for a very sociable activity. All age groups are welcome, no partner is necessary, and the dancing provides excellent exercise while at the same time accommodating varying levels of fitness. Thanks to the efforts of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society with headquarters in Edinburgh, there is a world-wide fraternity of Scottish country dancers always ready to welcome visiting dancers.
Persons wishing to obtain more information on the Burnaby Scottish Country Dance Club or the 20th Anniversary Ball call (604) 325-1197 or (604) 298-6552.
An Educated, Liberal-Minded King for His Time
By LYDIA LANGSTAFF James VI of Scotland also held the title of James I of England. He was born in Edinburgh Castle on June 19, 1566, to Mary Stuart and Lord Darnley.
He was only eight months old when his father was murdered, which resulted in his mother's abdication and exile. Though crowned King of Scotland when
f Simon Fraser
HIGHLAND
University Pipe Band^\
ARTS FESTIVAL
March 26, 27, & 28, 1993 Simon Fraser University
Courses and Performances in
Bagpiping, Drumming, Highland Dancing, Penny Whistle playing, Cape Breton Fiddling, Scottish Country Dancing, and Scottish general interest topics including Gaelic, Scottish Cooking and Knitting, Whisky Tasting, and morel
Beginner Courses Offered.
Weekend Pass: $65 ea. Family Rate Passes (3 or more): $50 ea Saturday Night Second Concert: $12 ea Saturday Night Ceilidh: $5 ea Contact: Mrs. Sandy Meston Phone: (604) 942-5726 _Fax: (604) 936-8502 J
JAMES VI
he was only one year old, powerful nobles and extreme Protestant clergy always controlled him.
After his mother's beheading, James married Princess Anne of Denmark, though earlier he had married her by proxy. The marriage was the culmination of four years of negotiations, which were often blocked by Elizabeth I of England while she still held his mother captive.
James and Anne had five children, but only three survived. Anne was pregnant when the news of Elizabeth's death reached them. His ascension meant that Scotland and England would be united. He left immediately for London, and Anne stayed behind. Her child was delivered stillborn in Sterling, and when she had recovered she joined him in England.
The Scottish lords could no longer control him, and he tried to exercise his authority. He called himself the King of Great Britain and Defender of the Faith, although these were not official titles.
Guy Fawkes made his famous attempt to blow up Parliament in 1605, and James had the Catholic conspirators rounded up and executed.
Parliament softened towards him for a while, but the more extreme Puritans lobbied for drastic reforms, including the abolition of bishops. James often said,"No bishop, no king," and therefore never adopted these changes.
The great achievement in his less-than-illustrious career was his translation of the Bible. During the Hampton Court Conference, where representatives of the Anglican religion argued for modification of church services to make them more puritanical, he authorized scholars to translate the Hebrew and Greek texts into English.
It was a huge change from his
Eredecessors, Elizabeth I who ad monopolized the printing of Bibles, and Queen Mary who had made it a crime to read the Bible in public. James neither forced the new Bible upon believers, nor disallowed other translations.
This pointed difference was not out of character as James had been educated by George Buchanan, a Catholic who became Protestant, he learned to translate the Latin Bible text into French and then into English.
Therefore, he appreciated the scholarship necessary to translate the Bible, and he appreciated the text itself. Revision was needed because a previous translation included commentary such as, "The Lord was with Joseph and he was a lucky fellow."
James VI of Scotland and the I of England died, probably of kidney failure, on March 27, 1625. He has been called "the wisest fool in Christendom." Although history calls him a poor king, and in spite of his overeating and drinking, he changed the face of both Scotland and England through their union.
The King James version of the Bible has had a profound effect which touches us even today.