Red Thistle Dancers

We're featured in the latest issue!

HAPPY TARTAN DAY! The Red Thistle Dancers have their own officially registered tartans inspired by their red and crimson namesake, the California red thistle flower (Cirsium occidentale and Cirsium arizonicum). These tartans are based on the California State tartan, birthplace of The Red Thistle Dancers, founded in 1973.

Happy Tartan Day from the Red Thistle Dancers! Learn more about the tartans worn by the Red Thistle Dancers during their performances. Many different tartans are worn for our performances -- in the kilts for the men, and in the sashes or kilts for the ladies. For all of the tartans, see here: https://www.redthistledancers.org/pubtartans

Happy Tartan Day with a Tartan Day performance from 2011 at the Historic Ardenwood Farm, a Regional Historic Landmark in Fremont, California, originally constructed in 1857. Here are the Red Thistle Dancers performing "Serendipity" and "The Lady in Red" devised by Jennifer Kelly.

Our own Red Thistle Dancer, Alan Twhigg, accompanied by our Red Thistle Musicians Susan Worland Bentley and Michael Bentley, led this week's "Dance Scottish At Home" from the RSCDS "At Home" feature broadcast this last March 17th! Excerpt from the newsletter recounts: "On Wednesday we travelled to Mountain View in California for the RSCDS online class joining teacher Alan Twhigg in a location famous for technology, being the home to Google, LinkedIn, and Intuit. Alan was jo...ined by musicians Susan Worland Bentley, playing fiddle and her husband Michael, playing the bodhran and as comments in the chat said, it was great to have live music. Thanks also to Michael for his help in setting up the technology for the class. Alan picked a French Canadian dance for the warm-up La Bastringue. The music prompted lots of chat comments including Jill Andrews saying Love the music, reminds me of Brittany where I’m from originally!; Jean Martin commenting I like the warm-up. Something different. and Maria Tsvetoukhina writing Nice dance and great music! There couldn’t be a class on St Patrick’s Day without some Irish tunes so Susan and Michael played some Irish waltzes for the stretching warm-up."

It's Throwback Thursday! Vintage Scottish Dancing Memories from the early days of the San Francisco Bay Area's Scottish Dance Community! 1948 memorabilia from the Bay Area Reel & Strathspey club including a Christmas party invitation and a photo from the 1948 Folk Festival. "The White Heather was adopted as our insignia" From the Scrapbook of the Reel & Strathspey Club of San Francisco

HAPPY ST ANDREW'S DAY FROM THE RED THISTLE DANCERS!

Nov 17 - the Red Thistle tartan for the founding of the The Red Thistle Dancers! "The red thistle, found growing in California serves well as a symbol of both o...ur Scottish heritage and current home." ~ Jennifer & John Kelly (founders of The Red Thistle Dancers) Founded in 1973 in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Red Thistle Dancers are a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing and performing the country and highland dances and music of Scotland. In the year 2019 under Artistic Director Fred DeMarse, The Red Thistle Dancers marked their 500th performance! The namesake red thistle (Cirsium occidentale) also known as the cobweb thistle or cobwebby thistle, is a North American species of thistle in the sunflower family, commonly found across most of California: in its mountain ranges, valleys, and the Mojave Desert, as well as in the western Great Basin region in western Nevada, southern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho. Curious? For more on this special day and associated tartan details and colours, visit the website at: https://www.curiousandunusualtartans.com/daysof/red-thistle

It's Throwback Thursday! Reel & Strathspey Club members, Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, 1948 From the Scrapbook of the Reel & Strathspey Club of San Francisco

The "Jennifer's Dances" Audio/Video/Booklet release!