Annabel Oates
Brought up in Ross-shire, in the Highlands of Scotland, Annabel has always loved to dance. She qualified as a teacher of Physical Education and spent her early teaching days in Devon. On returning to Scotland, she lived and taught in Midlothian, near Edinburgh. Annabel is a qualified teacher of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, but her love is of the more informal dance of Scotland, called Ceilidh Dancing-the dance of the people! Teaching in Primary Schools (age 5–12
years) she had the perfect opportunity to introduce young children to the informality, fun and wonderful music that is Ceilidh Dancing.
This form of dance is very popular in Scotland at weddings, amongst students and young people, at family gatherings etc. No experience or partner is necessary and with minimal instruction you can be part of a magical social experience. Annabel regularly conducts workshops at various music and dance festivals. She has run a weekly Ceilidh Dance class in Penicuik for the last 12 years with an average weekly attendance of 50–60 people, of all ages. She organises regular Ceilidh Dances for the community, attracting some of Scotland’s top dance bands. The proceeds from these Ceilidhs have supported many local and national charities. During the summer months Annabel organises Ceilidhs for the many foreign students who flock to Edinburgh to learn English at the various language schools. Students from Wisconsin, who spend a semester studying here in Midlothian, have a series of workshops offered to them. Many of them use this opportunity to join the local students at their Ceilidhs in Edinburgh and have a great deal of fun, enriching their stay in Scotland. A recent trip to Provence with a group of Ceilidh dancers from Penicuik was a great success, with the French fully participating in workshops and Ceilidhs. A visit to Colorado to tutor at The Spanish Peaks Celtic Festival in September 2006 was a wonderful experience. For the last 15 years Annabel has been a freelance dance caller, travelling the length and breadth of Scotland with various dance bands, encouraging people to ‘get up and have a go’! As a result, she has visited every venue imaginable, from castles, stately homes, top hotels, function suites to village halls – all with the intention of encouraging people, of all ages, to enjoy dancing. Her philosophy is ‘if you can walk you can dance’. She is on the Board of directors of The Scottish Traditions of Dance Trust, a national organisation that exists to promote, research, conserve and foster all of Scotland’s dance traditions.
No teaching at the moment.