• Reading age: 14

"Swedish-born traditional dancer and researcher Mats Melin has worked and performed extensively in the Scottish Highlands, the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland, in their schools and communities promoting Scottish traditional dance. He has also taught and performed in Sweden, Canada, USA, Russia and New Zealand. Mats has a vast knowledge of all aspects of the Scottish traditional dance scene, but specializes in Cape Breton step dancing. One With the Music is informed, in part, by Melin’s PhD research on transmission practices—how the tradition and steps of generations of dancers in Cape Breton get passed on to subsequent generations. His research gives us insight not only into the processes of transmission, but also into the complex ways dance and music in Cape Breton are deeply ingrained in the island’s culture. In this book, the home, classroom and square-dance contexts—and, to some extent, concerts—are examined and analyzed following years of interviews and participation."

Mats Melin has worked professionally with dance in Scotland since 1995 and in Ireland since 2005. His current position is Lecturer in Dance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. He co-founded the dynamic Scottish performance group Dannsa, in 1999. A former member of the Scottish Arts Council’s Dance Committee, Mats was awarded a PhD at the University of Limerick for his research on Cape Breton Step Dancing.

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