Anyone else still traumatised by social dancing at school?!

[DoTheNextRightThing]

Local radio station is currently playing its Sunday ceilidh music block and I swear every time I hear that noise of an accordion starting up, it makes my blood run cold. Images of standing in the gym hall, lined up along the wall, staring across at the boys who you just know have sweaty palms and bony elbows, and wanting the ground to swallow you up.

Is anyone else still haunted by the memories of social dancing?

You mean Scottish Country dancing? I lived it 😂 we had it for PE every year from October to Christmas. I'm not that old, but it did strike me as ridiculous even then that the boys got to pick most of the time but every so often there was a "ladies' choice"... But if only I'd realised how good I looked then 😏

loved ...

Our school's very woke now, so same sex dancing is allowed. (Cos discrimination). But I'd imagine that'll just mean that all the girls will dance together but the boys will refuse to dance with another boy.

@bathorshower from p7 to the end of high school!

I used to really enjoy It! I wasn't massively popular at school and too shy to speak to any boy I fancied. So the opportunity to dance with any boy at all was a total highlight.

(I did have friends who were boys and would dance with them at the school ceilidhs. But they weren't proper boys iyswim )

We would do the dances at our Christmas dance and the bit I remember best was getting danced by one of the teachers - a wee, unassuming, older man. What a mover!

It’s funny, I know I hated lots about it but also look back kind of fondly. I remember in primary school a boy Stephen that would always pick me who had warts on his hand. And the fact you were not allowed to say no. But enjoyed the actual dancing.

Do kids still do it now?

I love Scottish country dancing but for some reason we weren’t allowed to dance with actual boys at our school.
I was tiny and was always paired with the girl who was goal defence in the netball team.
She was about 6 foot and had a 1980s perm which added another 7 inches.
God knows what we must have looked like charging round the school gym to Mairi’s Wedding.
Happy days.

Scottish country dancing done every winter from P4 but started in October for the Qually in P7.

Oh god I remember this! I also remember being given a punny for refusing to dance with a boy because he was a bit sweaty 🤢

The Harry Potter dancing scene in goblet of fire captured the full horror of school dancing and the school ball! Still have cringe flashbacks to some of those events!

I didn't mind it too much. As a highland dancer it was one of the few school occasions where I don't get picked last.

Love a proper Orcadian Strip the Willow.

Problem is males seem to think either version is an excuse to try and be as violent as possible with the spins 🙄

I hated it at school but I now love a good ceilidh so I’m glad I know all the dances

I started in p7 and then we had it every year added. It was to prepare us for the Christmas Dance.

It wasn’t til s3 we did the quickstep which was The Most Difficult Dance of them all. They taught the girls in a group doing their steps in one hall and then the boys in another, before bringing us back together. It was, unpredictably, a shambles.

I do like a wee Canadian Barn Dance progressive or a dashing white sergeant even now

We called it Social Boogie. I probably didn't enjoy it at the time but I've been grateful for it at every ceilidh I've ever been to since. People left my wedding with bruises all up their arms and said they'd had a wonderful time 😁

I went to a wedding once where the groom, his family and me were the only scots. They had a ceildh because they’re great fun, but we were the only ones who really knew how to do the dances. The bride at one point asked me to dance with the groom, just so she didn’t have to. 😂 It meant he could throw someone around who was expecting it and knew what was coming next.

School social dancing might have been grim. But I will literally never forget how to do the dances.

Traumitised? No but what the heck was square dancing for? Useless!

I loved Scottish country dancing at school (but I love all dancing, so good for the soul!)

In rural 1990s Scotland it was only the local old folk that did it in the village hall so I was surprised and relished the ceilidh at university and wow, it was cool!

I never really came across guys trying to fling women about and bruise them (have heard folk talk about that) but I don’t like that behaviour one bit. I wouldn’t tolerate it and it’s not big or clever, completely spoiling it for all.

A few years back I went to a local Scottish country dancing club, it was great fun Very social and a really good work out, lots of older folk there who were very welcoming (and very fit!) but I was seen as a youngster (40s) and felt like I was encroaching on their patch. It was so popular with them, with some dancing every night and around the world. Spoken to many people who were really into it, but they tended to be 70+ in age which can it some off.
I think it needs a revival; very social and keeps you fit.

Other than the overwhelming embarrassment of not getting picked it was good fun

Stood me in good stead for a lifetime of weddings and parties.

It's not a good strip the willow if you're not covered in bruises or have a broken shoe

Oh I loved it. We did the barn dance, the Gay Gordons, Viennese Waltz, regular waltz, salsa and tango.

Boys across one side and girls the other. Boys were told to pick and partner and they came straight at us like a herd of stampeding horses! Terrifying. Teacher blew her whistle and made them all go back and do it again, but 'like gentlemen'.

I hated the fact that you weren't allowed to say no to any boy who asked you to dance. I understand why but sometimes a really creepy guy that you hated would ask and you'd have to dance with him while he stared at your chest.

I endured this too.

The military two-stroke with a fat classmate!

I'd happily do a month of social dance compared to the relentless shitshow we're all dealing with now.

And I loathed social dance.

@unimaginativeusernamehere that really did nothing to impose positive messages around consent!

@titsbumfannythelot I know, I don't think anyone really cared much about telling us about consent in those days (and I'm only 33)