Fiddles, step dancing and borderline crazy moments in a Victorian toilet: volunteering highlights of NAFCo

It has been a privilege for me to be a part of the 25th anniversary of the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention (NAFCo) which finishes today in Aberdeen. Musicians, dancers and academics from all over the world have descended on our little city to celebrate, perform and discuss traditional fiddle music and dance. I signed up as a volunteer for the event and helped to organise the busking trail (also called popup performances) on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I selected the venues, found wet weather contingency options and put together a schedule. I did a lot of running over the past few days from venue to venue to NESCOL to NAFCo HQ and back again. I don’t know how many steps it was but it felt like a marathon and my leg muscles are telling me it was a lot of running. But it was also fun and I signed up for two of the workshops on step dancing which I enjoyed immensely. The first was with Canadian superstar Mary Frances Leahy who at only 20 is a mesmerising presence on stage whether…