Major Smiley and Roddie McDonald organized Scottish Country Dance in Indianapolis for the Burns dinners, starting in January, 1984. Some of the performers were Charlie Gamble, Alan Sklan, Roddie and Judy McDonald, Major and Isabel Smiley, Jackie Anderson, George and Betsy Wilson and students from local colleges. The dances continued a few more years until Major Smiley moved away.
Barry Levitt attended his first Scottish Country Dance in Indianapolis on July 12, 1997, at the Ransburg YMCA, 501 N Shortridge Rd, Indianapolis (East side). This group was led by Tine (pronounced as Tina) McKay and included Betsy and George Wilson, Janet Nichols and Nancy Foxworthy. Members of Tine’s group attended workshops in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati with Tine. Levitt attended three Scottish dances in 1997, one beginner level Scottish Ball and two other Scottish dances in 1998, one Scottish dance and one Scottish Ball in 1999, one Scottish dance in 2000, six local Scottish dances in 2001 and no Scottish dances in 2002. After Tine McKay moved away (possibly in 2001) Monica Bielke led the local Scottish dance group, followed by Babs Ebert.
In 2003, Scottish dance in Indianapolis resumed briefly at the Athenaeum with Janet Nichols leading. I believe there was no public Scottish Country Dance in Indianapolis between 2004 and 2006. Barry remembers attending a Scottish Ball practice at the Michael Solomon Pavillion near Dayton, Ohio, on June 1, 2013, and another Scottish Dance there on March 3, 2018. In 2007 Ken Morgan began leading Scottish Country Dance in Indianapolis. Participants included Mark Cornelius, George and Betsy Wilson, Bob and Becky McClure, Laura Chatain, Shawn and Michele Stroud and Barry Levitt. Special events included Scottish Country Dancing at the wedding of Tamar Cornelius and Ryan Finchum on September 6, 2008, and the 25th Anniversary of Shawn and Michele Stroud on July 23, 2011, in Franklin. Scottish dance locations included the Broad Ripple Masonic Lodge, 1716 Broad Ripple Avenue, the Northwood Christian Church, 4550 Central Avenue, and the Latvian Center, 1008 W 64th Street. Our first meeting at the Latvian Center was on June 1, 2015. A going-away party for Ken Morgan was held on April 24, 2017. Jane and Dan Patton started managing the Scottish Country Dance in the Spring of 2017 at the Latvian Center. Later, possibly starting in 2018, Becky McClure led the dances until the COVID pandemic ended all dances in March, 2020.
Special events included combined dances and Hogmanay parties. On November 27, 2017, the Scottish Country Dancers of Indianapolis hosted a combined dance at the Latvian Center with Dans Norden, the local Scandinavian performing dance group. Scandilocity, the band for Dans Norden, also attended and played music. Other combined dances hosted by Dans Norden were held annually at the Athenaeum.
Several Hogmanay parties with Scottish Country Dancing, food and beverages occurred, including January 9, 2016, January 14, 2017, February 8, 2020, all at the Patton’s home, plus January 13, 2018, at the Latvian Center. Bagpipers performed at some of these events.
Scottish Country Dancing resumed in July, 2021, with restrictions, led by Jane Patton. Bernadette Lange, a certified Scottish Country Dance leader, moved to the Indianapolis area from Little Rock, Arkansas, in July, 2022. Jane and Dan Patton moved away in November, 2023. The steering committee of Barry Levitt, Bernadette Lange, Heidi and James Horton, and Sue Gaebler began on October 25, 2023, with dances continuing on Monday nights weekly at the Latvian Center. Bernadette Lange began leading the dance programs in the Fall of 2023.