History

Highland

Highland Dancing is one of the oldest forms of folk dance. It dates as far back as the 11th and 12th century. Competitive Highland Dancing stared in the Highland revival of Victorian Britain and was for men only Ladies only began competing at the turn of the 20th Century.

Highland Fling

Likely the oldest of the traditional dances of Scotland, the Highland Fling signifies victory following a battle. The warriors made this dance a feat of strength and agility by dancing on their upturned shields which had a sharp spike of steel projecting from the centre. The upraised arms and hands in the dance represent the deer's antlers.

Sword Dance (Gillie Callum)

Legend has it that the initial Sword Dance was created by Malcolm Canmore, a Celtic Prince who fought a battle in 1054. Triumphant, he crossed his opponent's sword with his own and danced over them celebrating his victory. It is also said that the warriors danced the Sword Dance prior to battle- touching the swords was a bad omen.

Seann Triubhas (Old Trousers)

This dance originated as a political protest dating back to 1745 when the wearing of the kilt was an act of treason. Pronounced "shawn trews", this Gaelic phrase means "old trousers". The beautiful, graceful steps reflect the restrictions imposed by the foreign trousers.

The Reels

The Reel O'Tulloch is said to have started in a churchyard on a cold winter morning when the minister was late for his service. The parishioners tried to keep warm by stamping their feet, clapping their hands and swinging each other by the arms.

And Scottish National Dances

The National Dances are more modern than the Highland Dances and were developed so women could participate, wearing the Aboyne outfit, which is a skirt instead of a kilt. The National Dances are much more rhythmic and balletic; however, they still require quick and precise movements. Men, of course, also perform all of the dances, but they wear the traditional kilt.

Irish

The history of Irish dancing is not as old as Highland dancing. In the 18th Century Dance Masters travelled from village to village to give dance instruction for a period of about 6 weeks before moving on to the next village. The stages were small - perhaps a table top, a door or simply at the crossroads. During the 20th century the stages became larger and thus this changed the dance style considerably.

The Irish Style

Irish dancing encompasses softshoe, hardshoe and ceili (group) dancing.  Irish dancing is distinctive as there is no other form of dance that expects perfect balance without the use of the arms. Speculation has it that the arms were held rigidly by the sides to hide the fact that the Irish were dancing during the time when the English occupied Ireland and there was a suppression of Irish Culture. Another story is that the dance Masters did not approved of the Sean Nos style of dancing which had rather unruly arms while tapping the feet on the ground, so they made the dancers hold stones in their hands holding the arms in a fixed position.

Music

The music of Irish dance has its roots in Scotland and England. The Reel tunes , that are very popular in Ireland came from Scotland as recently as 1790. The “Fairy Reel “ was composed for the Fife Hunt Ball in Scotland in 1802.It was borrowed by the Irish and a well -  known Ceili dance  the” Sixhand Reel “ was composed to it. The Hornpipe tunes have their origins in England during the Elizabethian times as they were used for stage performances.

History through Dance

The names of the Irish tunes and dances also have a story to tell such as “St Patrick's Day”. “Blackbird” - this was the code name for Bonnie Prince Charlie and the “Job of Journeywork” or even “Madame Bonaparte” which hints a French connection. The word jig comes from the old French name “gigue” meaning small fiddle.

Though Highland and Irish Dancing are vastly different in terms of style and presentation they have a common bond in their precision work. Both are highly competitive from beginner level to world championship level.

History