BIOS AND INFORMATION
BIOGRAPHY
The Red Thistle Dancers are a Scottish Country and Highland Dance and Music performance group based in the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California.
Headed by Artistic Director Fred DeMarse, The Red Thistle Dancers were founded in 1973 and are dedicated to promoting Scottish culture through music and dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. They have been regular participants in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival from its beginnings in 1978 through 1999, and were special honorees in 1991. The Red Thistle Dancers perform at outdoor events and fairs, international folk dance festivals, schools, private parties, fundraising events, weddings and conventions, and have toured internationally in both Norway and the Czech Republic.
PROMO IMAGES
MUSIC SAMPLES
PERFORMANCE OPTIONS
DANCE
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Scottish Country Dance
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Highland Dance
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Sword Dance
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Ladies' Step Scottish Dance
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Ceilidh Dancing
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Audience Participation Dances
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Performers from 2 - 20 dancers, depending on your needs
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Performance runtimes from 20 to 120 minutes
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Costume variety - historical, highland, traditional, Victorian
MUSIC
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Fiddle, Bodhran and Percussion, Keyboard
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Harp
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Bagpipes (we can also work with your own bagpiper)
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Recorded music if desired for your venue
TECHNICAL NEEDS
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20 x 30 ft minimum dance space - clear, level, good surface for dancing
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Musicians area - we provide our own amplication equipment
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Electrical connection
SELECT PERFORMANCES
FESTIVALS
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Caledonian Highland Games (Pleasanton, Santa Rosa)
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Monterey Scottish Games
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Sacramento Valley Highland Games
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Scottish-Irish Heritage Festival
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Honolulu Highland Games
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California Christmas Revels
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Campbell Highland Games
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California Statewide Folk Festival
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Reno Celtic Festival
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Ardenwood Historical Farm
THEATERS & VENUES
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Herbst Theater - Ethnic Dance Festival
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de Young Museum of Fine Arts (San Francisco)
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City Celebration Band Shell (Golden Gate Park)
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The Great Christmas Dickens Fair (San Francisco)
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Night of Lights (Half Moon Bay)
CONCERTS
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Pacific Grove Lauritzen Concert Series
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Monterey Peninsula Concert Association
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City of Palo Alto Concert
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"Dancing Feet - To the Dance of Tradition"
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"Dancing Feet - Dancing Feet Around the Word"
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Men's Ethnic Dance Concert
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International Dance Concert of Nevada City
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Norman Kennedy Concert
OTHER
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Norwegian Folk Festival Tour (Norway)
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International Folklore Festival (Czech Republic)
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International Dance Mosaic
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Moffett Field Officer's Club
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John Muir House
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Dunsmuir Historical
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St. Andrew's Society Tartan Ball
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Hewlett-Packard Diversity Days
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Weddings, Family Celebrations, Anniversaries, Society Functions, Installations, Masonic Functions
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Scottish Traditional Celebration Days:
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Jan 25 (Burns Night)
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April (Scottish American Heritage Month)
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Apr 6 (Tartan Day)
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April 21 (John Muir Birthday/Earth Day)
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St. Andrew's Day (Nov 30)
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Hogmanay (Dec 31)
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CONTACT
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Fred DeMarse
email: info@redthistledancers.org
address: Palo Alto, California
website: redthistledancers.org
facebook: facebook.com/RedThistleDancers
VIDEOS
PRODUCTS
SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS
The Red Thistle Dancers have produced a unique series of instructional teaching videos for the beginning or intermediate Scottish Country Dancer or teacher of Scottish dance. To learn more or to purchase these videos, related music, or printed materials see:
PRESS
"The Red Thistle Dancers," Celtic Life, Oct 2015. Click to read.
"More than a Fling," Palo Alto Weekly, June 2007. Click to read.
BRAND & PROMO MATERIALS
