Info on Scottish Highland Dancing
Daniel J. Barrie
Would Like to find information on the Highland dances as well as the
national dances of Scotland. History behind each dance. My daughter is
eleven years old and is doing a 10 min. speech on the dances. She is a
Highland dancer and is very proud of her dance. So if anyone can make
some suggestions thanks
Dad and Daughter
--
Best Regards Dan
*********************************************************************
* Don't worry, I'm gong to bckup tdImo!#@%^dernh *
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Joe Shelby
>
> Would Like to find information on the Highland dances as well as the
> national dances of Scotland. History behind each dance. My daughter is
> eleven years old and is doing a 10 min. speech on the dances. She is a
> Highland dancer and is very proud of her dance. So if anyone can make
> some suggestions thanks
>
> Dad and Daughter
There are lots of "old stories" about the dances, but how many of
them have any ring of truth is up to far too much debate.
In each dance (this should be said up front) there is MUCH in the way
of local variation until the late 19th century, when dance books began
to be published. Later, by the 1950's, the Highland Dance Committee
published their first "Textbooks" on Highland dance to try to
standardize the competitions, doing as much to destroy the artistry of
the dance as anything the English ever attempted prior to Victoria...
Cape Breton step dancing has some dances with the same tunes and
similar styles to the modern Highland dances, and some argue that
the Cape Breton form is what the Scots were really dancing in
the 18th/19th centuries, prior to the adaption of the soft-soled
ghillie, instead of hard-soled shoes.
The Scot-French connection is up to strong debate at present. Some
are now finding that the Scots gave more to the French in what
became ballet than they took. It is recorded that Mary, Queen of
Scots, had a 11yr old page boy who was a highland dancer, and he
often performed for the French court who took to his style with
much interest.
many Scots now recognize Highland as a SPORT and not a DANCE. much of
the grace and artistry is lost in the name of "technical perfection".
anyways...
Gille Cullum (Sword Dance).
Rumor is that it originated when Scots King Malcolm defeated MacBeth's
armies in the 12th century, he placed his own sword over that of
MacBeth's leutenant (who was leading the army) and danced over them.
A possible connection that may support this is that there is a Morris
solo dance that is danced over crossed clay pipes, and the tune is
very similar to the Gille Cullum pipe march.
It is prefered to refer to it by the tune title (Gille Cullum) and not
"Sword Dance", as Sword Dance often refers to LongSword dance forms
related to Morris throughout Northern England.
The modern form even now varies with the 19th century form. Several
late 19th century authors refered to "2-beat pas-de-basq" as
"slipshod and lazy" (MacIntyre North, 1881).
--
The Highland Fling
Probably the most famous of the dances.
Rumor has it that it was inspired by the movements and grace
of the stags of Scotland. The hands and arms are representing
the horns of the stag. (There may be a ritual connection as well.
drawings of "pagan" rites included ceremonial dancers who actually
wore stag horns strapped to their backs).
The oldest documentation on it i believe is the mid 18th century.
--
Strathspey and Reel
Scotland's oldest documented social dance. (16th century).
Though the term "strathspey" isn't documented until the late 16th
century, its use then implies that it is already well known by then.
The strathspey a musical rhythm unique to Scotland, and is the
best example of the famous "scotch snap", a musical rhythm
also found in certain pipe marches and "scottishes" (most
of which, in spite of the name, do NOT come from Scotland).
The "Highland Strathspey and Reel" was known as the Scotch reel.
Basic pattern: reel of 4 for 8 bars, set for 8 bars, reel for 8,
set for 8; repeat in reel time. Then men danced on the inside
and changed places in the reels as the inside do now, so they
first set to their opposite, and then set to their partner
after the second reel. The "Reel of Tulloch" was a variation
that appears in the 18th century, and has always been associated
with the tune of the same name.
Most of the steps used in modern Scottish Country and Highland
dance came from Scotch reel steps. These include the strathspey
country traveling step, the strathspey highland traveling step,
and the "skip-change" of step, known in Gaelic as "kemshoole".
Several setting steps now used in particular country dances
also came from the Scotch reel, including the step used
in Glasgow Highlanders.
pictures and drawings from the 19th century show that the hand
and arm positions weren't nearly as "precise" as modern highland
dancing requires...one of the drawbacks of "competition", i
suppose.
Many Country dance figures came from the Scotch Reel, as variations
on the setting and reeling pattern. The most important being
"set and turn corners into closing reels", which is perhaps the
most popular figure in 18th century scottish dance. one book
of 121 published dances in 1758 included over 70 with this figure.
--
the Seann Truibhas
perhaps the most controversial.
here's a discussion on it, with some primary sources, taken
from a "strathspey" mailing list digest:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Kent W. Smith <kws...@merle.acns.nwu.edu>
Date: Fri Jan 20, 11:04am -0600
To: strat...@math.uni-frankfurt.de
Cc:
Subject: Re: Pronunciation: "Seann Truibhas"
In message Wed, 18 Jan 1995 10:32:36 +0100,
Anselm Lingnau <lin...@tm.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de> writes:
> Iain E. Garden Richardson <I.G.Ric...@rgueee.rgu.ac.uk> writes:
>
>
>> Anyone know the correct story behind the name ? Or the reason for the
>> different pronunciations of the two dance names ?
>>
>
> I've already professed ignorance of pronunciation matters and so will not
> go into that part of the question.
>
> However, the story about the Seann Truibhas Highland dance that I've heard
> has to do with kilts being outlawed after the 1745 Jacobite uprising. I've
> been told that the dance symbolizes the Highlander's indignation about
> being forced to wear trousers (the slow steps) as well as his joy about
> being allowed to wear the kilt again, that garment having been
> rehabilitated a while later (the quick steps). Anyhow, the kicking
> movements signify the `shedding of the trousers', and I've seen a
> Highland dancer of my acquaintance do the Seann Truibhas and actually
> getting rid of his trousers in the process, with tartan pantyhose
> emerging underneath (People from the Bonn area in Germany will know who I
> mean).
> I don't know whether this is the `correct story', but it certainly seems
> plausible to me. Does anyone among the Highland dancers on the list
> know when the Seann Truibhas was introduced as a dance? It ought to be
> late 18th/early 19th century at the earliest for the story to be right; I
> seem to remember (from reading, not personal experience :^)) that it was
> certainly around later on in the 19th century.
>
Sorry to be so long in responding, but I had to remember to check my sources
at home. I looked at
Thurston, Hugh (1984). Scotland's Dances. TAC. (the date is for the
reprint by TAC. My copy doesn't indicate the original date of
publication.
Flett, J.P, and T. M. Flett (1964). Traditional Dancing in Scotland.
London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
While the legend about `Seann triubhas' (Thurston's spelling and
capitalization, which is also the spelling used by Scottish Official Board
of Highland Dancing, except they capitalize the "T") may be lost in
antiquity, the earliest reference cited by Thurston is an entry dated 1804
in the diary of Elizabeth Grant, published as _Memoirs of a highland lady_:
"Lady Jane was very clever in the Gillie Callum and the Shean Trews, I
a little behind her in the single and double fling, the shuffle and
heel-and-toe step." (p. 59 in Thurston)
He notes that the dance seems to have undergone rapid change and development
at the end of the 19th century (p. 66). MacIntyre North's _Leabhar comunn
nam fior Ghael_, dated 1881, provides probably the earliest descriptions
extant now of the sword dance, fling, the strathspey, and the reel of
Tulloch, but it has no description of Seann triubhas. (In the sword dance,
he describes the figures with clockwise rotation and with 3-beat pas de
basque, by the way. He describes the 2-beat version as "slipshod and lazy"
and Anderson about 1890 makes a similar point (p. 65 in Thurston). How
things change!)
As to the legend, here's an extended quote from Thurston (p. 74):
"The way these legends can gather round a dance is well shown by `Seann
triubhas'. Its legards are, as one would expect, inspired by the name,
which means `Old trews'. One story, which is based on the outward kicking
movement in the first step, is that the dancer is trying to get rid of the
trews (various quick wrist and finger movements indicating abhorrence of the
tight, confining garments) and that the quick-time steps at the end show
that he has done so. Now let me quote from D. G. MacLennan: `This first
step has nothing to do with the idea of kicking off the trews, but . . . is
new to the dance and was composed by myself.' [no cite given by Thurston,
alas] A second story is that the slow steps represent the mourning for
the kilt, and the quick steps the celebration of its return." [I
personally don't find that the slow steps used today convey a sense of
mourning.]
MacLennan was the leading teacher in Edinburgh in the period around 1900
and competed in Highland Games from 1898 until 1910 (Flett & Flett, p. 7).
The Fletts do not say when D. G. MacLennan was born, but do note that his
older brother Wm. MacLennan was born in 1860. MacLennan's claim that the
first step (that is the center of the first legend) was indeed devised in
the late 1800s is supported by two cites by Flett and Flett on p. 119
(although no independent support for his claim that he was the devisor).
In the Seann Triubhas taught by James Neill of Forfar, which the Fletts say
goes back to at least 1850, the first step consists of 6 "spring, step,
close" steps followed by 4 points. The Fletts also refer to personal
communications they had with D. G. MacLennan in which he said that the
first step in common use about 1890 was 6 pas de basques and 4 points or
shuffles. On the other hand, Thurston (pp. 63-64) notes that _David
Anderson's universal ballroom and social dance guide_ circa 1890 describes
the present first step for Seann Truibhas. The slight inconsistencies in
dates may be because different steps were adopted at different times in
different parts of Scotland. David Anderson was one of the principal
dancing teachers in Dundee from about 1870 until about 1910 (Flett and
Flett, p. 8). However, the Anderson and MacLennan quotes together would
imply that the step claimed by MacLennan was adopted in Dundee before it
was in MacLennan's own Edinburgh. Oh well . . .
These two books, by the way, have other gems of research and lore in
them.
Kent Smith, Illinois USA
------------------------------------------------------------
well, hope this helps.
if you have www access, check out the strathspey home page
http://www.math.uni-frankfurt.de/strathspey
there's a fairly comprehensive bibliography on scottish dance available.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Joseph Shelby : Software Engineer jsh...@autometric.com
5301 Shawnee Rd. Alexandria, VA 22312-2333 (703) 658-4071
http://www.io.com/~acroyear
I'm not sure who he is, but I've heard he's got his hand in a lot of things.
--Kermit, about Jim Henson
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Anselm Lingnau
Daniel J. Barrie <aq...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote:
> Would Like to find information on the Highland dances as well as the
> national dances of Scotland. History behind each dance. My daughter is
> eleven years old and is doing a 10 min. speech on the dances. She is a
> Highland dancer and is very proud of her dance. So if anyone can make
> some suggestions thanks
See whether you can locate a copy of Hugh Thurston's _Scotland's_Dances_,
or _Traditional_Dancing_in_Scotland_ by Flett and Flett. The latter
is stronger on `social' dancing rather than competitive Highland dancing,
but both have information on Highland dancing as well.
It turns out that most of the Highland and National dances aren't as old
as all that. In fact, most of them were made up during the last century.
There are lots and lots of solo dances and step dances that used to be
taught in the 18th and 19th centuries but which have been lost.
Anselm
--
Anselm Lingnau ......................... lin...@tm.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de
Letting users log in is great. But sysadmins of machines who let users log in
should understand that this is another vulnerability that they're going to have
to deal with. --- Rahul Dhesi
Michael Paterson
>It turns out that most of the Highland and National dances aren't as old
>as all that. In fact, most of them were made up during the last century.
>There are lots and lots of solo dances and step dances that used to be
>taught in the 18th and 19th centuries but which have been lost.
There are only two Highland dances; the Sword Dance and Seann
Triubhas. (Seems extraordinary that we couldn't even come up with a
third dance - especially as Seann Triubhas reeks of Irish influence!)
Sort of like the Saudi sword dance - the ardha - seems to be the only
one they have.
Mi\cheil Rob Mac Pha\druig
druidh/duine-uasail
Anselm Lingnau
Michael Paterson <mik...@direct.ca> wrote:
> There are only two Highland dances; the Sword Dance and Seann
> Triubhas. (Seems extraordinary that we couldn't even come up with a
> third dance - especially as Seann Triubhas reeks of Irish influence!)
What about the Highland Fling or the Strathspey & Reel (of Tulloch?)?
What *does* make a dance a `Highland dance'? The books cited
elsewhere in this thread do mention various dances that seem to have
been danced in the Scottish Highlands at different times, although
we don't know all of them in detail.
Both the Sword Dance (Gille callum) and Seann Triubhas are most probably
not older than about 200 years (Gille callum is mentioned in the
literature first in the early 19th century -- there is no hard evidence
of it having existed a lot earlier than that, although the tune of the
same name goes back to, I think, mid-11c.).
Many of today's so-called Highland and `National' dances are, as I said
before, from the 19th century, and it is well worth mentioning that new
dances using similar technique and music are being devised even today.
They are not what you will see at Highland games, but they are fun to do
and watch and they are proof that the tradition is alive.
IMHO, this is similar to this century's developments in Scottish Country
dancing; even though today's RSCDS-standardized SCD may seem terribly
inaccurate to historical purists, it is a preferred pastime to many of
us, a great way of getting together socially with folks from all over
the place, and a continuation of a couple of centuries' worth of
tradition to (and beyond) the present.
Anselm
--
Anselm Lingnau (Frankfurt, Germany), Strathspey SCD mailing list maintainer
strathspe...@tm.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de (`Subject: help' for info)
SCD stuff on WWW at http://www.tm.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de/strathspey/
Craig Cockburn
mik...@direct.ca "Michael Paterson" writes:
> There are only two Highland dances; the Sword Dance and Seann
> Triubhas. (Seems extraordinary that we couldn't even come up with a
> third dance - especially as Seann Triubhas reeks of Irish influence!)
> Sort of like the Saudi sword dance - the ardha - seems to be the only
> one they have.
>
What about ruidhle nan coileach dubha from Lewis? This is a dance for
two couples forming a set of four in a square
--
Craig Cockburn (pronounced "coburn"), Edinburgh, Scotland
Find me in "E-mail addresses of the rich and famous" ISBN 0-201-40893-7
Sgri\obh thugam 'sa Gha\idhlig ma 'se do thoil e.
Michael Paterson
>In article <4eb40f$r...@grid.direct.ca>,
>Michael Paterson <mik...@direct.ca> wrote:
>> There are only two Highland dances; the Sword Dance and Seann
>> Triubhas. (Seems extraordinary that we couldn't even come up with a
>> third dance - especially as Seann Triubhas reeks of Irish influence!)
>What about the Highland Fling or the Strathspey & Reel (of Tulloch?)?
>What *does* make a dance a `Highland dance'? The books cited
>elsewhere in this thread do mention various dances that seem to have
>been danced in the Scottish Highlands at different times, although
>we don't know all of them in detail.
>Both the Sword Dance (Gille callum) and Seann Triubhas are most probably
>not older than about 200 years (Gille callum is mentioned in the
>literature first in the early 19th century -- there is no hard evidence
>of it having existed a lot earlier than that, although the tune of the
>same name goes back to, I think, mid-11c.).
Well, I'm perfectly prepared to be wrong, but I have this item firmly
fixed in my mind and I remember reading in a book whose tone was very
authoritative. But... I bow to your obvious knowledge of the subject -
after all, just because it's in print is no guarantee of accuracy!
David Wright
<ia...@castle.ed.ac.uk> writes
>Michael Paterson (mik...@direct.ca) wrote:
>
>: There are only two Highland dances; the Sword Dance and Seann
>: Triubhas. (Seems extraordinary that we couldn't even come up with a
>: third dance - especially as Seann Triubhas reeks of Irish influence!)
>
>example - not the horrible bastardized version published by the SDTA and
>the other organizations, but the the original. A wonderful mix of grace
>and athleticism, and much nicer to perform than the SOBHD dances, which
>were adapted principally from the forms in which the dances were done by
>Highland Regiments.
>
>Incidentally, if anyone knows of a good hard shoe teacher anywhere in
>the central belt I'd be very interested in the details.
>
>Ian
I can't help you with a teacher, but you might be interested to know
that Scottish Cultural Press are shortly to publish a book called
'Traditional Step-Dancing in Scotland', by JF & TM Flett.
To quote a message from Dalriada-L
---- START OF QUOTE ----
This book is being published in April, and covers the authors' work
between 1950-67 as they travelled around Scotland collecting material.
It is fully illustrated. It also includes an appendix on Cape Breton
step dancing. It sounds as if it will become a very good source book on
traditional step dancing in Scotland. If Dalriada gets a review copy,
I'll be able to tell you more about it!
Lorraine
ORIGIN: DALRIADA BBS, ISLE OF ARRAN, ALBA 01770 302532 / 302049
--- END OF QUOTE ----
Daibhidh
---------------------------------------------------------
daib...@ealaghol.demon.co.uk Cu\m Ga\idhlig Beo\
I Johnston
: anyways...
: >
: > However, the story about the Seann Truibhas Highland dance that I've heard
: > has to do with kilts being outlawed after the 1745 Jacobite uprising.
: antiquity, the earliest reference cited by Thurston is an entry dated 1804
: in the diary of Elizabeth Grant, published as _Memoirs of a highland lady_:
: "Lady Jane was very clever in the Gillie Callum and the Shean Trews, I
: a little behind her in the single and double fling, the shuffle and
: heel-and-toe step." (p. 59 in Thurston)
I while ago when I was doing some research into early Scottish Dance in
Glasgow I found a reference from - if memory serves me correct - around
1680 to a wild whirling dance called the "Chant Russe". From the context
it seemed very likely to be an ancestor of the Seann Truibhas. Other
early refernces give it as "Chantreuse" - that which is dance to a
chanter.
I think the sad Highlanders theory is a romantic invention myself.
Ian
I Johnston
David Wright
>
>: There are only two Highland dances; the Sword Dance and Seann
>: Triubhas. (Seems extraordinary that we couldn't even come up with a
>: third dance - especially as Seann Triubhas reeks of Irish influence!)
>
>How about the hard shoes dances of the Islands? The Earl of Errol, for
>example - not the horrible bastardized version published by the SDTA and
>the other organizations, but the the original. A wonderful mix of grace
>and athleticism, and much nicer to perform than the SOBHD dances, which
>were adapted principally from the forms in which the dances were done by
>Highland Regiments.
Dancing at:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/gaelic/john/subversion/scottishstepdancing.html
I Johnston
: This book is being published in April, and covers the authors' work
: between 1950-67 as they travelled around Scotland collecting material.
: It is fully illustrated. It also includes an appendix on Cape Breton
: step dancing. It sounds as if it will become a very good source book on
: traditional step dancing in Scotland. If Dalriada gets a review copy,
: I'll be able to tell you more about it!
That would be interesting. However, I'll want a separate opinion on the
accuracy of the collection. The almost universal misrepresentation of
the trebles and double trebles in Earl of Erroll and so on comes from
poor collectors in the 50's. The trouble seems to be that collectors
approach the dances from a purely sociological point of view without
troubling too much to look at other work on early dance. The Scottish
stuff didn't come from nowhere...
But I await the review - if it happens - with interest and will
certainly try to get hold of a copy of the book.
Thanks,
Ian
Anselm Lingnau
I Johnston <ia...@castle.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
> The Earl of Errol, for
> example - not the horrible bastardized version published by the SDTA and
> the other organizations, but the the original. A wonderful mix of grace
> and athleticism, and much nicer to perform than the SOBHD dances, which
> were adapted principally from the forms in which the dances were done by
> Highland Regiments.
Aw, come on. I haven't seen the original version you're talking about,
but the `horrible bastardized' version is also fun to watch and do.
It's good to see the step dances coming back -- just yesterday evening I
had the opportunity to see Mairi Campbell of The Cast perform -- but
it's not as if the other dances weren't about grace and athleticism
as well.
Anselm
--
Anselm Lingnau ......................... lin...@tm.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de
As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual certainty, and I
thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life - so I became a scientist. This
is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls. --- M. Cartmill
I Johnston
: Aw, come on. I haven't seen the original version you're talking about,
: but the `horrible bastardized' version is also fun to watch and do.
Yes it's fun ... but if you try the real version you'll never go back.
The biggest difference is that the timing of single trebles is shifted
by one beat, which makes doubles much more fun. It's also a bit less
RSCDS-Ladies'-Step-Dancing namby pamby and easier to put some energy
into. Not for the long white gloves and soft shoes brigade, definitely.
Ian