TOUCHING TARTAN WITH HIGHLAND FUSION
Matthew Colquhoun
Ever since arriving at St. Andrews, the Dance Club has been an ever present and wonderful part of my time at university. This year I’ve had the privilege to lead photoshoots for the dance committee and teams. My favourite experience within this has undoubtedly been working with the Highland Fusion Team! Highland Fusion focuses on blending traditional Highland moves with contemporary music, resulting in a funky take on a typically highly regulated style.
This year we decided to put a twist on the annual show A Touch of Tartan by theming it. The chosen theme was “Uisce” (meaning water in Gaelic), named after the team’s gold medal winning competition dance “Seonaidh the Water Spirit”. After some debate on how to safely combine water and dancing in photos, our Captain decided that charging into the sea at Castle Sands was the best option! Having to time various poses with the ebb and flow of waves (while running away from them myself) has to be the most insane but fun photoshoot I’ve ever run! It contrasted heavily with the first group photos I did with the team, which was more focused on headshots and full group poses.
It was really interesting to focus more on the strength and poses of the dance style in our Uisce shoot, and have the chance to play with the water when editing show logos and information. This shoot was a fantastic chance to create interesting photo opportunities out of the classic St. Andrews locations. I am already excited to see what theme is picked for A Touch of Tartan next year!
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 4.