G9 - A Magical Gathering!

Oct 31, 2022

The 9th South American Pipe Band Gathering (27-30 Oct) was truly a magical comeback, following the 3-years since the G8, and back in Montevideo for the first time since the G1 in 2004!

Pipe Bands, Dance Corps, Instructors and Adjudicators at the Montevideo sign (Rambla Pocitos) - Photo credit @philliptatton

The G9 hosts

Scottish Dance Uruguay offered to host the G9 shortly after making the finals at Uruguay's Got Talent, and still in the midst of the COVID pandemic and a worldwide economic crisis. This was the first Gathering to be hosted by an organization other than a pipe band, and SDU in fact halved the time it usually takes to put together an event of this magnitude! Our hats off to SDU for bringing back the Gatherings, but more so for such a successful Gathering!

Pipe bands and dance corps

Eleven pipe bands and dance corps gathered in Montevideo from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, but we are most proud to also have had the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Regimental Pipes, Drums & Dancers of Alberta, the first non-South American pipe band and dance corps to have participated at a South American Gathering:

Argentina:

  • Bariloche Highlanders Pipe Band

  • Highland Thistle Pipe Band

  • South American Piping Association (SAPA)

  • St. Andrew's Society of the River Plate Pipe Band

Brazil:

  • Brazilian Piper Pipe Band

Canada:

  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police Regimental Pipes, Drums & Dancers of Alberta

Chile:

  • Chilean Highlands Pipes and Drums

Uruguay:

  • Hosts - Scottish Dance Uruguay

  • City of Montevideo Pipe Band

  • Latitude 33 Pipe Band

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Regimental Pipes, Drums & Dancers of Alberta - Photo credit @philliptatton

Adjudicators and instructors

We were most privileged to have had the following overseas and local instructors and adjudicators:

  • Pipes: Craig Munro (Scotland), Scot Walker (USA), Keith Bowes Jr. * (Scotland)

  • Drums: Tyler Fry (Canada/USA)

  • Dance: Rachel McLagan (Scotland)

  • Drum Major: Jared Redekopp ** (Canada)

  • March & Deportment: Thomas Hobbins (Uruguay)


* Co-instructor at the Teaching Young Players session, along with Scot Walker

** Instructor at the Drum Major session

Left to Right: Rachel McLagan, Craig Munro, Scot Walker, Tyler Fry - Photo Credit: Jeannine Facht

Solo Competitions

The G9 opened on Thu 27-Oct at 2pm with the Solo Competitions, at the Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel. The G9 Solo Competitions included Piping (Adult Intermediate and Adult Advanced), Snare (Open), Tenor (Open), Bass (Open), and Highland Dancing (Wee, Junior, Youth, Adult), The G9 actually hosted the first ever South American Bass Drum Solo Competition.

The Solo Competition prize lists are posted below.

Photos: Jeannine Facht

Cocktail and adjudicator concert

The G9's Cocktail was the official opening of the Gathering, and we were honoured to have had this at the Residence of the British Embassy in Montevideo. The camaraderie and joy of being back together was self-evident, as this past gap in between Gs had been too long, but especially tough due to the pandemic. It was indeed a celebration of both friendship and Scottish Culture.

The highlight of the evening was the Adjudicator's Concert, where Craig Munro, Scot Walker, Tyler Fry and Rachel McLagan delighted us with a sample of both traditional and Red Hot Chilli Pipers' repertoire and dancing!

Photo credit @philliptatton

Photo credit @philliptatton

Photo credit @philliptatton

Photo credit @philliptatton

Photo credit @philliptatton

Photo credit @philliptatton

Photo Credit: Maru Busico-Flight

Photo credit @philliptatton

Adjudicators' Concert - Photo Credit: Jeannine Facht

Photo credit @philliptatton

Workshops and clinics

The G9 introduced a number of changes on the education front, based on feedback dating back to the G2. At the G2 we realized that the topic-specific sessions were not working for most (for being too general), which is why we switched to band-specific sessions. By the G8, the feedback was that one hour per band (every 2-or-so years) before the pipe band competitions was not working either, as most time was spent on tuning-up for the competitions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had no choice but to focus on learning through posted materials, plus video-conferencing with instructors. Generally speaking, SPBASA also pushed bands to focus on the learning opportunities in between Gatherings (a much larger period of time) vs. the comparatively brief weekend of the Gatherings.

Considering all of the above, SDU was able to offer at the G9 both topic-specific sessions (listed below), and band-specific sessions. Competing bands and dance corps had their band-specific sessions after the competitions, based primarily on competition feedback from the day before.

Topic-specific sessions:

Piping:

  • Band Practice Structure

  • Individual tuning

  • Teaching young players

  • MSR Expressions

  • MSR/Medley Construction

  • Introduction to Piobaireachd

Drumming:

  • Drum Corps Ensemble

  • Tenor Flourishing

  • Drum Majors

Dancing:

  • Dance workshop for non-competing dancers

Keith Bowes Jr. and Scott Walker at the Teaching Young Players clinic.

Scott Walker and Craig Munro with City of Montevideo PB pipers.

Rachel McLagan teaching a @flingsnthings choreography - Photo Credit: Maru Busico-Flight

Scot Walker during the tuning workshop - Photo credit: Jeannine Facht

Dance workshop with Rachel McLagan - Photo Credit: Maru Busico-Flight

Craig Munro conducting the Pipe Band Practice Structure session - Photo credit: Jeannine Facht

Jared Redekopp conducting the Drum Major workshop - Photo credit: Jeannine Facht

Tyler Fry taking a break during the drumming workshops - Photo credit: Jeannine Facht

Tyler Fry during the drumming workshops - Photo credit: Jeannine Facht

SAPA during the Pipe Band Practice Structure session - Photo credit: Jeannine Facht

Massed bands

About 300 pipers, drummers and dancers attending the G9 played and paraded down Arocena Street, in the beautiful neighborhood of Carrasco, ending at the iconic Hotel Carrasco at Montevideo's Rambla on the River Plate. The Massed Bands is the epitome of all pipe bands and Highland dancers coming together, the essence of the Gathering.

The Massed Bands parade ended with a Massed Highland Fling, followed by a street concert by the Adjudicators and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Massed Bands approaching the Carrasco Hotel

Massed Highland Fling

Adjudicators' Street Concert

Craig Munro, from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, and Master Craftsman and Director of Wallace Bagpipes - during the street concert

Dance Corps of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Pipe Band and Dance Corps Competitions

Pipe Bands and Dance Corps competed in the following categories:

  • Pipe Bands:

    • Quick March Medley *

    • Medley *

    • March & Deportment

  • Dance Corps:

    • Dance Corps Competition: This Gathering's DCC in turn was broken down into Choreography, Technique and Overall.

* aggregated points for Overall Piping, Overall Drumming and Overall SPBASA Cup.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Regimental Pipes, Drums & Dancers of Alberta was unfortunately not able to compete as a Dance Corps, but nonetheless did their competition routine for both the adjudicator's feedback and for the audience's entertainment.

See the PB and DCC competition prize lists posted below.

Highland Thistle Pipe Band - Overall SPBASA Cup - Photo: Jeannine Facht

Royal Canadian Mounted Police - 1st Place March & Deportment - Photo: @philliptatton

Scottish Dance Uruguay - 1st Place Overall Dance Corps Competition - Photo: @philliptatton

Solo Competitions - Piping

Adult Intermediate

MSR 4-2-2


1- Mike Johnson

2- Gustavo Da Silva Dos Santos

3- Wellita Martins Klein

Adult Advanced

MSR 4-4-4


1- Brian Barthe

2- Björn Heuckeroth

3- Sebastian Geymonat

Adult Advanced

H&J 4-4


1- Andrew McConnell

2- Brian Barthe

3- Freddy Santana MacKinlay

Solo Competitions - Drumming

Adult Open Snare

MSR 4-4-4


1- Fernando Valles

2- James Lajoie

3- Martin Colafranceschi

Adult Open Tenor

MSR 4-4-4


1- Jonas Coutinho

2- Cheryl Stewart

Adult Open Bass

MSR 4-4-4


1- Tim Stackhouse

2- Marcelo Rodriguez

Solo Competitions - Highland Dancing

WEE (6-10 years old)


Highland Fling

1- Felicitas Beyhaut

2- Josefina Castillo

3- Juana Perciavalle


Sword Dance

1- Josefina Castillo

2- Juana Perciavalle

3- Guadalupe Varela

JUNIOR (11-15 years old)


Highland Fling

1- Federica Vidiella

2- Martina Fernández

3- Lucía Nin


Sword Dance

1- Martina Fernández

2- Isabel Guelfi

3- Lucía Estol


Seann Triubhas

1- Josefina Cuitiño

2- Martina Fernández

3- Lucía Estol

YOUTH (16-20 years old)


Highland Fling

1- Milagros Foti

2- Constanza Cuitiño

3- Maite Chadicov


Sword Dance

1- Delfina Sosa

2- Constanza Cuitiño

3- Maite Chadicov


Seann Triubhas

1- Milagros Foti

2- Constanza Cuitiño

3- Maite Chadicov

ADULT (21 & older)


Highland Fling

1- Keely McBride

2- María Eugenia Cola

3- Magdalena Laborde


Highland Laddie

1- Keely McBride

2- María Eugenia Cola

3- Magdalena Laborde


Strathspey & Reel of Tulloch

1- Keely McBride

2- Magdalena Laborde

3- Paula Alvarez

Pipe Band Competitions

Quick March Medley


1- Highland Thistle

2- SAPA

3- Latitude 33

Medley


1- Latitude 33

2- Highland Thistle

3- SAPA

March & Deportment


1- RCMP

2- St. Andrew's Society of the R.P.

3- Highland Thistle

Overall Piping


1- Highland Thistle

2- Latitude 33

3- SAPA

Overall Drumming


1- Highland Thistle

2- SAPA

3- Latitude 33

Overall SPBASA Cup


1- Highland Thistle

2- Latitude 33

3- SAPA

Dance Corps Competitions

Technique


1- Highland Thistle

2- Scottish Dance Uruguay

3- SAPA

4- Chilean Highlands

N/P RCMP

Choreography


1- Scottish Dance Uruguay

2- SAPA

3- Highland Thistle

4- Chilean Highlands

N/P RCMP

Overall


1- Scottish Dance Uruguay

2- Highland Thistle

3- SAPA

4- Chilean Highlands

N/P RCMP

N/P: No placing, competed for feedback only