Scottish country dancing has it’s origins in eighteenth century England, when it was known simply as country dancing, and it’s popularity spread from the big cities of England to the lowlands of Scotland, and by the nineteenth century was well established throughout Scotland.
As country dancing became replaced in England by modern dances such as the waltz and the quadrille, country dancing continued to gain popularity in Scotland and new dances were choreographed to Scottish tunes. By the early twentieth Century, the Scottish Country Dance Society was formed, to preserve country dances, as ‘danced in Scotland’, and over time many new dances were added to the catalogue of what eventually became renamed as Scottish country dancing. Today there are over 11,000 dances, of which less than 1,000 are from the traditional canon.
Scottish country dancing is essentially social dancing, and can be subdivided into reels and jigs, (quick time), and strathspeys, which are in a slower, more formal tempo.
All dances are done with partners, and most dances are organized in formations known as ‘sets’, which would typically consist of three or four couples.
Whilst proper footwork technique is quite skilled, and requires much practice, dancers with little or no technique are not excluded, as the dances are essentially for fun. It is more important for participants to stand away from the paths of other dancers and to be in the correct location at the right phase of the dance, so the various formations involving several couples can properly executed.
As country dancing became replaced in England by modern dances such as the waltz and the quadrille, country dancing continued to gain popularity in Scotland and new dances were choreographed to Scottish tunes. By the early twentieth Century, the Scottish Country Dance Society was formed, to preserve country dances, as ‘danced in Scotland’, and over time many new dances were added to the catalogue of what eventually became renamed as Scottish country dancing. Today there are over 11,000 dances, of which less than 1,000 are from the traditional canon.
Scottish country dancing is essentially social dancing, and can be subdivided into reels and jigs, (quick time), and strathspeys, which are in a slower, more formal tempo.
All dances are done with partners, and most dances are organized in formations known as ‘sets’, which would typically consist of three or four couples.
Whilst proper footwork technique is quite skilled, and requires much practice, dancers with little or no technique are not excluded, as the dances are essentially for fun. It is more important for participants to stand away from the paths of other dancers and to be in the correct location at the right phase of the dance, so the various formations involving several couples can properly executed.