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Issue 3077: Gordon Thomson

Object
Return to Shieldaig (Dance)
Submitter
Lesley Thomson
Assigned to
Murrough Landon
Priority
Normal
Disposition
Fixed
Description

My husband Gordon Thomson died unexpectedly of sepsis in Inverness ICU on October 18th 2022, aged 74. At the funeral tea at a hotel in Inverness dancers from the Inverness RSCDS branch danced another of his dances Gillian’s Strathspey named after a dance teacher and friend of ours. Gordon was a qualified Scottish Country Dancing teacher who started a class at Felixstowe in Suffolk before we retired to the Isle of Skye in 2009 where we danced with the Skye branch. Being a mathematician he enjoyed composing complicated dances - a five couple dance called Lesley’s Medley became known as Lesley’s Mudlley because it was so complicated. He was very proud that his dances are now danced worldwide and that Return to Shieldaig will be danced at the Inverness Highland Ball this month.

Previous Actions

  • Date  March 11, 2023, 4:02 p.m.
  • User  Unknown

New issue submitted

  • Date  March 11, 2023, 7:32 p.m.
  • User  Murrough Landon (murrough)

Assigned changed to »murrough« (previously »None«)
Disposition changed to »Fixed« (previously »New«)

Im sorry to hear this news but thank you for sending us the information.

I have updated Gordon’s database entry as a dance deviser (https://my.strathspey.org/dd/person/3345/) and added your text to the “extra info” for him.

I have certainly done Return to Shieldaig and what I would call The Agile Uistman and hope they remain part of the repertoire.

I did have one question: you mentioned Lesley’s medley as a 5 couple dance. But the database thinks its a 4 couple square. I see Gordon wrote a 5 couple dance called Three and Two is Five. Perhaps both were liable to error? Personally I enjoy tricky dances so will have to take a look…