Dance Appreciation
Overview and History of Scottish Highland Dancing
1
Instructor: Professor Kathy Meyer
Student: Jamie Steck
Due Date: May 17th, 2018
Point Value: 25 points
To fully understand the cultural significance of Highland Dancing, a brief history of
Scotland must be reviewed. Recorded documentation of Scotland can be dated back to the times
of the Roman Empire in 100AD. Scotland was never conquered by the Romans and slowly
emerged as a sovereign territory. During the next 1000 years, Scotland saw the arrival of the
Vikings and the growth of a monarchy. During the 13th and 14th centuries, Scotland faced the
invasion of England, successfully fighting and preserving their national independence. In 1603,
however, Scotland and England merged their monarchies in the Union of the Crowns.
Subsequently, in 1707, their parliaments were also combined, and the United Kingdom of Great
Britain was formed. Recently, in 1999, the Scottish parliament was reformed. Despite a strong
movement towards succession in 2014, the country voted to remain part of Great Britain. 234
There exists some debate about the validity of the origins of Highland Dancing. Some
sources claim that Highland Dancing can be dated back to the 11th century where the first
Highland Dance was performed as a victory dance. King Malcolm was said to have crossed his
sword with that of his defeated enemy and performed a dance over the crossed swords. Other
sources note that the first sword dance occurred as part of a failed plot to kill the Swedish king in
the 16th century. Regardless of the first occurrence of the dance, there is no doubt that dancing
was part of the early Gaelic culture. Dances emerged as part of war and were performed by
soldiers to the music of bagpipes as a preparatory or celebratory dance. The dances also
demonstrated a warriors stamina, precision, and skill. Other social dances were also seen in
communities and developed from one region to another, such as step dancing and country
dancing.
During the 18th century, some of the early Highland Dances began to formalize with the
influence of French dance masters. In 1746, the Jacobite Rebellion caused the passing of an act
of parliament known as the Highland Clearances. This act forbade the wearing of kilts and the
carrying of weapons. The act was repealed about 40 years later, and it was at this point in time
that the first Highland Games emerged. Highland Games consisted of competitions and
demonstrations of acts of strength, stamina, and military skill to include the playing of bagpipes.
During these Highland Games, Highland Dances were performed during the breaks. Eventually,
the dances became part of the competition as well. In the late 1800s, the Maclennan brothers
began to standardize and formalize the Highland Dances. Both men were trained in Ballet, one
in Paris and one in London, which undoubtedly influenced the dance technique that was formed.
In 1950, Donald Maclennan wrote the first published book on Highland Dancing titled Highland
and Traditional Scottish Dances. Additionally, the Scottish Official Board of Highland
Dancing was formed as a world governing body of the sport.5 6 7 8
Today, Highland Dancing is a competitive and established sport, both in Scotland and
throughout the world. Competitions are held regularly, with the World Championships held at
the Cowal Highland Gathering in Scotland every August. Highland Dances can be divided into
two major categories: the traditional dances and the national dances. The national dances have
only been added in modern times, while the traditional dances are claimed to have emerged
throughout Scottish history. The traditional dances consist of four dances: the Sword Dance, the
Highland Fling, the Seann Triubhas, and the Reel of Tulloch.
Modern Highland Dancing can be characterized by the distinct movements and the attire
of the dancers. Dancers spend most of the time on the balls of their feet, with their feet turned at
a 45 degree angle. The arms are used, typically placed on hips or high above the head. The
movement quality at some level resembles petit allegro of Ballet, with the jumping and placing
of the feet. Highland Dancers wear specific clothing and shoes. Most dancers, male and female,
wear kilts with jackets or vests and tall argyle socks. On their feet, they wear ghillies, which
resemble ballet slippers with laces. Women wear their hair in buns while the men usually wear
berets. Some men may wear trousers in place of the kilt. Today, most Highland Dancers are
women and girls, contrary to the warrior origins.9
1
Cover photo courtesy of https://cimg.visitscotland.com/cms-images/about/sword-dancingballater-HG.
“About Scotland. History,” Scotland is Now, https://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/historytimeline.
2
3
Wikipedia contributors, "Scotland," Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scotland&oldid=841069082.
4
Michael Newton, The Hidden History of Highland Dance (2012.)
5
Wikipedia contributors, "Scottish highland dance," Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scottish_highland_dance&oldid=84123
8233
Ben Johnson, “The History of Highland Dancing,” Historic UK, https://www.historicuk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Highland-Dancing/
6
Kirsty Duncan, “Introduction to Highland Dancing”, Electric Scotland,
http://www.electricscotland.com/dance/intro.htm
7
8
“About Us,” Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing, https://www.sobhd.net/about-us/
“Dress Code,” Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing,
https://www.sobhd.net/index.php?uamfiletype=attachment&uamgetfile=2017/11/DressCode_Oct-2017.pdf
9