Katie Morag and the Dancing Class Katie Morag

# Katie Morag

# Far away across the ocean

# Katie Morag

# Over the sea to Struay

# Katie Morag

# Far away across the ocean

# Katie Morag

# Over the sea to Struay. #

'My name is Katie Morag McColl and I live on the island of Struay.

'I suppose it's quite wee, but it's ginormous to me

'and everyone looks out for me

'when I'm out and about having my adventures.'

# Katie Morag. #

Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one. Ready or not...

'It was just about the summer holidays

'and my big boy cousins were already in Struay for their summer visit.'

'I love it when they come.

'Every day we're out playing hide and seek

'or skimming stones or blowing dandelion fairies high into the sky.

'And at the end of the day we go home ravenous for our tea.'

Where do dandelions go when you blow them up to the air?

Well, they land all over the place.

They're wee seeds with wings.

I like dandelions. They float in the wind.

Well, take a look at this then.

Miss Campbell has organised dancing classes in the village hall.

Dancing classes?

'I wasn't sure if I liked the sound of that at all.

'Summer holidays were for playing games and building sandcastles,

'not for going to classes.'

-Tea's ready.

-Ah.

Oh, I used to love dancing when I was a girl.

I'll bet you were great.

I had my moments.

-Why don't you show us?

-Oh, oh, no! I couldn't.

-Oh...

Oh, all right, then.

(Why's her arms like that?)

(She's supposed to look like a stag's antlers.)

(She looks like she's hanging the washing.)

-Music, maestro.

-Oh, right.

HE HUMS A JIG

Come on, join in!

Now...fingers to thumbs...

..wrists down

and...

peg the clothes higher,

higher,

and higher!

Higher!

Looks like your washing's fallen on the ground.

Oh, well done.

You were fabulous.

Maybe I'd like to do dancing after all.

What a wonderful idea!

And I'll make you a ballet costume.

-A ballet costume?

-Trust me, you'll love it.

BELL RINGS

No way that's real.

-Course it is.

-Hold this.

Oh!

-So?

-There's no way that's real.

What have you got there?

Netting. 40 yards of it.

The colour's way too bright.

That will frighten the fish away.

I'm not making a fishing net, I'm making a tutu.

-A what-what?

-A tutu.

It's a ballet skirt.

It floats on the air like a spider's web.

Isobel, pass me the other parcel, please.

I didn't know you could sew.

Well, I don't really. But how hard can it be?

How many skirts are you going to make?

Just the one. It's for Katie Morag.

Do you think that's her style?

Are you giving me fashion advice?

I suppose I'd better just look at my seeds.

I think that's probably for the best.

And you're sure you know how to work this?

Oh, yes.

Oh, dear.

I've done it wrong.

Neilly Beag, could you hold this for me?

Me?

Well, there's no-one else here, is there? Um...

Hold it up.

Ah...

I've got it right this time.

That's lucky, because I've run out of hands.

That's more material for you, Mum.

More?!

BALLET MUSIC PLAYS

Have I got a surprise for you!

What is it?

Well? What do you think?

-Hmm...

-I know!

Some of the needlework isn't absolutely perfect,

but isn't it gorgeous?

Maybe just needs a few more frills.

I looked like a ginormous pink fairy

as if someone had covered me in glue

and dropped me in a bathtub of cherry blossom.

It can't have been that bad, surely!

Why does everything just have to be so pink?

Granma Mainland never had a little girl of her own.

Now she's got you, well,

maybe she's gone a little bit over the top.

A little bit!

How about you grin and bear it just this once?

Let her get all that pinkness out of her system.

I suppose so.

Then when you finish with the dress,

we'll bring it home and plant it.

Your mum loves cherry blossoms.

'It just so happened that the night before the first dancing class

'there had been a great big storm,

'so I had to stop and check

'if anything exciting had got washed ashore.'

'Of course, exploring the beach isn't always the quickest of jobs.'

Bye, Mrs Campbell.

Katie Morag!

You've missed the ballet class. Where have you been?

Sorry, Mrs Campbell.

I was down beach co... I was down...

FERRY HORN

Never mind.

It will brush up as good as new.

I heard a mermaid was spotted on the beach.

They say someone was dancing with her.

'The next Saturday, I set off in plenty of time for the class,

'but some naughty sheep had got out of the field,

'so of course I had to put them back.'

SHEEP BAA

'And I was late for the class again.

'But when I did arrive,

'it wasn't at all what I was expecting to see.'

Oh, Katie Morag. You've missed the ballet class again.

Sorry, Miss Campbell.

-What are they doing?

-This is tap.

-It looks like fun. Can I play?

-Dressed like that?

Of course you can.

Just watch what we're doing and then try and join in.

Ready?

Toe, ball, heel, tap.

Toe, ball, heel, stamp!

Toe, ball, heel, tap.

Toe, ball, heel, stamp!

'I liked the look of this tap business

'a lot more than I liked the look of ballet,

'but I didn't want to upset Granma Mainland.'

You try, Katie Morag.

Toe, ball, heel, stamp.

Toe, ball, heel...tap.

Toe, ball, heel... BOYS LAUGH

'And I just didn't have the right shoes.

'I decided that this was one of those times

'when I just needed a little chat with Grannie Island.'

-Grannie Island!

-Ooh-ya!

-I've got a problem.

-So have I!

It's the dancing class.

Ach, well, I was never much of the ballet dancer myself.

Neither am I. That's the problem.

Ah, come on inside.

There's not many problems can hold out against a nice cup of tea

and a porridgie, eh?

'Well, I told Grannie Island all about walking to the hall

'and the storm

'and the beach

'and the sheep...' Baaaa baaaaa.

'and the torn dress

'and then missing the ballet

'and about the tap dancing...' Toe, ball, heel...

'..and how I couldn't make the proper sound.'

See what I mean?

I do.

It looks more like flap dancing than tap dancing.

What do you reckon?

Hold on.

Give the porridgie time to work.

Mm-hm.

I think I've got it.

Right, what have we got here?

That lock would definitely come in handy for something.

Ah-ha!

My rubber duck. I wondered where it had got to.

Ah, yes. Here they are.

-What are they?

-Segs.

You put them in the sole of your boot

to stop them wearing out.

SHEEP BLEAT

Vibrant velour.

Have you finished yet?

Don't rush me, Katie Morag.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

What does that mean?

It means patience is a virtue.

Right.

Now I'm finished.

BOOTS TAP

I'm so proud. She's been working awfully hard.

So I hear.

Welcome, all of you, to the final class

of this year's summer dance project.

We are going to start off with a wee bit of a surprise.

Agnes.

One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight...

# Toe-ball-heel step

# Toe-ball-heel step

# Toe-ball-heel step stomp

# Toe-ball-heel step stomp

# Five, six, seven, eight

# Toe-ball-heel step

# Toe-ball-heel step

# Toe-ball-heel step stomp

# Toe-ball-heel step stomp

# Toe-ball-heel step

# Toe-ball-heel step

# Toe-ball-heel step...#

Wellies!

She's wearing wellies to dance in!

She sure is.

Very good she is, too.

APPLAUSE

BALLET MUSIC PLAYS

'I will always remember my dance class that summer

'cos I learned three really important things.

'I learned that no matter how hard

'I tried to be what other people wanted me to be,

'I was better off just being myself.

'I learned that patience is a virtue.

'And most important of all,

'I learned that there's not much that's impossible,

'so long as you have the right pair of wellies!'