InstructionsĬouple facing each other in ballroom hold, men with their backs to the centre of the room and left shoulder facing line of dance. The Highland Schottische was introduced in 1850s and was initially known as the ‘ Balmoral Schottische’. (A common variation is for the centre dancer to turn or swing each of their partners in turn, beginning right hand with the right hand partner, then left hand to the left hand partner.)Ģ5 - 28: Joining hands, in lines of three, advance and retire.Ģ9 - 32: Both lines dance forwards, one line raising their hands in an arch and the other line dancing underneath, and dance on to meet the next line of three coming in the other direction. The left hand partner stands still.ġ3 -16: Facing left hand partner, repeat bars 9 - 12.ġ7 - 24: Dance reels of three, the centre dancer passes the right hand partner left shoulder to begin. Finish in original Iines of three.ĩ - 12: The middle dancer in each group of three, faces the right hand partner, set to each other and, giving right hands, turns or swings once round. Music: 32 bar reel - ‘ The Dashing White Sergeant’ġ - 8: All circle six hands round to the left and back to the right. Three facing three round the room (man with two women or a woman with two men). A similar dance called ‘The Highland Reel’ and which may possibly have inspired the Dashing White Sergeant appears in Scottish dance manuals 20 years before the publication of The Dashing White Sergeant. The dance is based on very old Scottish formations of ‘setting’ and ‘reeling’. This dance dates from the late 19th Century and has been attributed to David Anderson of Dundee. (A common variation is both dancers to set away from partner and back).ġ3 -16: Taking ballroom hold, the couple dances a waltz turn to finish ready to begin again. Note: this is referred to as allemande hold.ġ - 2: In allemande hold, walk forward for four steps along the line of dance, starting on the right foot.ģ - 4: Still moving in the same direction, and retaining hands, each dancer turns on the spot (so left hands are joined behind woman’s left shoulder and right hands joined in front) and take four steps walking backwards in the same direction, along the line of dance.ĥ - 8: Repeat bars 1 - 4 in the opposite direction, against the line of dance.ĩ -12: Releasing left hands, raise right hands above woman's head, the man walks forward as the woman turns under his arm. The left hands and arms are held away from the body. The man raises his partner’s right hand over her head to hold it just above, but not resting on, her right shoulder. InstructionsĬouple facing the line of dance: the men with their partner on their right and with both hands joined, left in left, right in right and the right above left. The earliest reference to a dance called ‘ The Gay Gordons’ is from the early 20th Century and the title refers to the Gordon Highlanders army regiment. To get you started instructions for some of the well known Ceilidh dances can be found by following the links below. If you are interested in running your own Ceilidh, please visit our Ceilidh in a box page for tips on how to organise your own! Many Ceilidh dances have been part of the Scottish dancing scene for many years and are an intrinsic part of Scotland’s culture. Īs well as dances derived or inspired by the Old Time dance tradition a typical Ceilidh may also include some simple country dances, many of which have been part of the Scottish repertoire for many years, such as The Eightsome Reel. To ensure that Ceilidh evenings can be enjoyed by all, many Ceilidhs today are run by a caller who selects the dances to be done and provides basic instruction to ensure that the evening can be enjoyed by everyone. Today it is still the case that in some rural communities what would be called a Ceilidh dance in Glasgow or Edinburgh would just be a dance.Īn important feature of this type of informal dance is its accessibility, with just about anyone being able to get up and join in with minimal instruction. This informal form of dancing has developed from the old village hall dances in the more rural parts of Scotland and has been largely untouched by any formal attempt to standardise its execution and formations. The names of many of the common Ceilidh dances may well be familiar to you, such as The Dashing White Sergeant and The Gay Gordons. Ceilidh dancing has derived from the Old Time dances and couple dances that found their way onto the Scottish dance floor in the 19th century.
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