Scottish Country Dancing

So, your mother didn't come from Scotland; there are no thistles entwined in your family tree, and the only Scottie you ever met was of the four-legged variety! You don't have to be Scottish to enjoy the irresistible, toe-tapping rhythms and the catchy melodies of traditional Scottish music.

What is Scottish country dancing?

• A mixture of energetic dances for those who are young and fit, and slower dances for those who are not!
• Dances are categorised as reels, jigs and strathspeys - depending on the type of music to which they are performed.
• Dances are generally performed in organised formations referred to as ‘sets’. Sets usually consist of three or four couples, which are normally mixed - but at practices women dance with women or men with men, depending on the make-up of the dancers present.
• Most dances are progressive, that is after one repetition of the figure sequence the couples end up in a different place in the set. This serves to let every couple have a go as ‘top couple’.
• Scottish country dancing is easy to learn and a great sense of satisfaction is achieved when all the various sequences have been carried out correctly, and each couple ends up in the right place!
• It’s athletic, non-competitive, musical, social and participatory - not many other activities offer this combination.

Instructional Videos

• Introduction
• Dashing White Sergeant
• Hamilton House
• Butterscotch & Honey
• The Highland Rambler
• The Eightsome Reel
• The Foursome Reel (Walking)
  
• The Foursome Reel (Dancing)
  
• The Robertson Rant
• Shiftin' Bobbins
• The Hurlingham Quadrangle (Walking)
• The Hurlingham Quadrangle (Dancing)
• The Duke & Duchess of Edinburgh
• The White Heather
• A Trip to Bavaria
• Reel of the 51st Division
• Postie's Jig
• The Piper & the Penguin
• Moneymusk
• Mairi's Wedding
• Duke of Perth
• Duke of Perth (2 sets)
  

Scottish Country Dancing Sub-Committee

Other websites of interest:

• Royal Scottish Country Dancing Society
• Scottish Dance