Canadian Entry Documents

International visitors, including those arriving from the U.S., please note that all persons entering Canada by any form of transport require a valid passport.

Entry into Canada: Canadian law requires all persons entering Canada to carry proof of citizenship and identity.

A foreign national or alien entering Canada must present a passport and valid visa issued by a Canadian Consular Official unless they are a citizen of a country eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., or a citizen of Canada. Visa-exempt foreign nationals flying to Canada MUST HAVE an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) and a valid passport. You can apply online for the eTA at this Canadian Government website.

For more information on entering Canada visit the Government of Canada Customs page.

 

Getting to St. Catharines

Toronto International Airport is probably the most direct with the airbus. It likely has more options as well.

Niagara Airbus

Transportation from Toronto Pearson Airport to St. Catharines.

Our local committe has worked with the company to get a discount code. We have set your discount and the code is 767 . You simply need to go to www.niagaraairbus.com  - at the beginning of the booking page, you will need to insert this code where you see the Conference/Promo code - and your discount will automatically be calculated as long as the code is entered.   We have set up at 20% shuttle discount for Toronto Pearson Airport - $83.00 + HST per adult one way and $155.00 + HST round trip. The Code is only valid if booked ONLINE 5 days or more in advance.

Guests book online and manage their own bookings with this code and may call our reservations line at 905-374-8111 should they have any inquires, or questions regarding their bookings. They may also email any inquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and provide the code to the reservation staff if they require help.   

The code is valid for travel from July 09, 2024 to August 18, 2024 to allow ample time to travel before and after the event.

 

Buffalo Airport also has some great deals, but then you have to negotiate getting over the border to Canada and the university.

Driving may be an option for those on the East Coast. Located in Southern Ontario, St. Catharines is approximately 1.5 hours from Toronto and 45 minutes from Niagara Falls.

Once you have arrived at Brock University, all of our classes are a ten minute walk from dorm to dance studios. We will all be housed in the same residence, and food service is inbetween. The party/social room is across the street from the residence as will be TACBooks and TACSound.

 

Accommodations

All accommodations are two single bedrooms that share a common bathroom. You can indicate on your registration form if you have a specific person you would like to share the bathroom with. If no name is indicated, we will pair you up with someone of the same gender. A great way to meet new people!

For TAC Summer Events 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, residences, meals, classes, and evening activities will be divided between two nearby venues:

King’s College and Dalhousie University. The walking distance between them is 7-10 minutes.

 Each venue offers advantages, and it will be necessary to house attendees in both residence halls. Here’s a list of the comparative benefits and considerations of each. Residents of Dalhousie and King's will take all their meals at King's.

Due to the lack of en suite facilities, and air-conditioning, a refund in Summer School registration fees of $100 per person is offered for those requesting accommodations during Summer School or both TCW & Summer School at the recently renovated King’s College. 

 

   King’s

  Dalhousie

Air conditioning

 

*

Dance classes

*

*

Evening events

*

 

After parties

*

 

TAC Books

*

 

TAC Sound

*

 

Free internet service

*

*

Laundry facilities

*

*

Ensuite bathrooms

 

*shared with roommates

Fresh linens upon request

*

*

Single room, one bed

*

 

Double room, twin beds

*

 

Two-bedroom suite

 

*

Three-bedroom suite

 

*

Four-bedroom suite

 

*

Ensuite sitting area

 

*

Refrigerator, stove, microwave, sink

*mini-fridge only

*  

Lounges with cable tv

 

*

Parking included (subject to availability)

 

*

 

 

 

The TAC Teachers' Conference Weekend and AGM will be held from

 July 28 - 30, 2023 at

King's College, Halifax, Nova Scotia 

Registration will open by March 1, 2023

 

The teacher for the weekend classes will be Ron Wallace, Rohnert Park, California  
and the musician will be Ian Muir from Prestwick, Scotland
 

Teacher - Ron Wallace

Musician - Ian Muir

   

Some of my earliest memories include watching my parents performing Scottish dance at a Burns Night celebration in Mapleton, Minnesota, where my mother grew up. Her uncle started the organization, and twelve of my relatives were involved over the years. Many of the Scots who settled in this area arrived before the SCDS was formed. Their dance style hadn’t evolved with the times as it did in Scotland. For example, dance pumps as we know them today were worn for performance, but not social dancing.

This was a very fertile ground to “grow up with it” and produced dreams of teaching it. When my parents bought a restaurant, and my mother couldn’t continue teaching, I had the opportunity to take over. So, at a very early age, that’s exactly what I did. 54 years later, I reflect on how little I knew then and how little I know now! The more I learn, the more I want to know.

In 1981, teaching Scottish dance and music became a full-time endeavour with classes in highland, step dance, Cape Breton step, country dance, and piping. Teaching these forms has taken me around the world and provided many an adventure. What better life than to share traditions, old and new, with all who love to dance!

 

Ian Muir has been playing for Scottish dancing in all its forms for the past 40 years.  Scottish Country Dancing, Ceilidh, and Old-Time dancing have been the mainstay of his long music career.  As well as playing for dancing, he has performed solo in Scottish Variety theatres throughout the country and has toured extensively in Europe and the Middle East.  He formed his own Scottish dance band in 1984 and has been a regular contributor on BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘Take the Floor’ programme as a bandleader He was the programme’s presenter for two summer seasons.

He combines playing duties with his tutorial role as Principal Accordion Tutor in the Scottish Music Department at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, a post he has held for 23 years.

Since 2012 Ian has been on staff at four TAC Summer School events in Portland, Oregon, Bishops’ University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, UBC in Vancouver, and last year in Calgary, Edmonton.  He played at the Vancouver Branch’s 50th-anniversary celebrations, the San Francisco Branch’s Asilomar weekend in California in 2013 and 2022, and the Edmonton, Alberta weekend school.

Recent studio recordings include RSCDS Book 51, a commission by Bill Little for part of his Carlingwork Collection, and a recent collaboration with Judi Nicolson, Kathy Fraser-Collins, and Fred Collins in the album “Fire Away!”

 
 

 

65 Dances Celebrating TAC’s 65th Anniversary in 2023

TAC is celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2023. It seems appropriate to share a selection of dances to highlight the creativity of the many dancers, teachers, musicians, and devisors whose talents have supported and celebrated our organization.

These 65 dances are a small selection of the many possible choices, but we hope they will provide teachers and organizers with ideas for classes and dance programmes. A few of the dances are traditional Scottish Country dance favourites, but most were chosen to highlight people who have contributed so much to our dancing pleasure over the years.

It’s impossible to include every dance devised by our members or teachers from around the world who have attended and taught at the Teachers’ Conference Weekend and Summer School. Still, we hope this selection will encourage you to revisit some old favourites or look further to find other dances by these devisors.

We look forward to many celebrations next year: TAC’s founding 65 years ago, the 50th Summer School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and, of course, the Centenary of the RSCDS. We hope this list will be another way for us to celebrate together.

You can use these links to download an Excel spreadsheet with lists of the dances alphabetically, by tempo, and by devisor. The sources for the dances are also noted, and all of the dances can be found on the SCD DanceDatabase, though not all have videos. In addition, there is a PDF version.

TAC - 65 Dances for 65 Years- spreadsheet

TAC - 65 Dances for 65 Years- PDF

Enjoy!