A Wee Bit of Information on Highland Dance

 

 

Perhaps nothing captures the spirit of Scottish culture better than the sight of Highland dancing being performed at a Scottish gathering in some far flung corner of the world. This sophisticated form of dancing has been spread by Scottish migrants across the world and competitions are now regularly organized in Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and the United States.

Whilst the majority of dancers now entered into these competitions are female, the roots of these energetic dances lay with warriors imitating epic deeds from Scottish folklore. According to tradition, the old kings and clan chiefs used the Highland Games as a means to select their best men at arms, and the discipline required to perform the Highland dances allowed men to demonstrate their strength, stamina and agility.

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Over the years, Highland dancing has been passed down to preserve the rich heritage of the Scottish people, though many of the traditional dances have now been lost. In addition, over time Highland dancing has moved from being an exclusively male pursuit, to one that today is more than 95% female dancers.

Dancers today typically dance to traditional Scottish music such as Strathspeys, Reels, Hornpipes and Jigs all played by an accompanying bagpiper. All dancers learn the same traditional dances to compete and perform; however, dance groups can make up solo and group choreographies for special events and scholarship competitions.

In Highland dancing, there are set dances a student must learn and perfect, rather than constantly learning new choreographies. Highland dance focuses on traditional dances that date back hundreds of years. Everyone from beginners to world champions spend time working each week on the same dances, with the emphasis being on perfecting technique, control, and movements, while constantly improving their stamina and endurance. In addition, students at our studio will have the opportunity to learn the occasional group or solo choreography to perform at shows.

Highland dance is competitive-focused, however competing is not required at our studios. There are four main competitive Highland dances, the Fling, Sword, Seann Triubhas, and Reel; and are the four required dances at a Highland dance championship competition. There are national dances that are commonly performed in appropriate Highland or national outfit, as well as character dances that use more expressive movements with a themed outfit. Dancers may also occasionally perform Highland choreographies made up by the teacher and dancer for performances or scholarship competitions, danced in any appropriate outfit.

Here is a list of the competitive dances taught at our studio.

THE HIGHLAND DANCES

  • Pas de Basques

  • Pas de Basques and High cuts

  • Highland Fling

  • Sword Dance (Ghillie Callum)

  • Seann Triubhas (Old Trousers)

  • Hullachan

  • Strathspey and Highland Reel

  • Strathspey and Half Tulloch

THE NATIONAL DANCES

  • Scottish Lilt

  • Flora MacDonald's Fancy

  • Wilt thou go to the barracks, Johnny?

  • Highland Laddie

  • Blue Bonnets

  • Village Maid

  • Scotch Measure

  • Earl of Errol

CHARACTER DANCES

  • Irish Jig

  • Sailor’s Hornpipe

Each dance has a variety of possible steps to choose from, with each dance including around four to six steps. Generally, you will see dancers performing many different steps while together on the same stage. There are many other Highland dances such as the Cakewalk and The Dusty Miller, however they are only rarely performed at scholarship competitions or for performances.

We are located at 3650 N Government Way, Suite H1.