Who knows anything about highland dancing?
March 31st, 2008 by darrelwilderIf you do, info would be great. I’d just like to see how much the community really knows about this sport
I used to be a dancer with a Scottish pipe band. I performed in a few competitions and have a couple of medals.
There are three kinds of Scottish dance:
* Highland dance (fling, reel, sword, sean truibhes)
* National dance (sailor’s hornpipe, Irish jig, lilt, Flora McDonald’s fancy)
* Country dance (couple dances)
I’ve heard that the Highland dances (fling, sword, etc.) were used as training for the Scottish army. It seems plausible, they’re REALLY an aerobic workout! The fling, in particular, involves a lot of leaping in place (the higher, the better), and it definitely takes dexterity to do the moves properly.
There is a legend associated with the sword dance that says that it was done just before the army would go into battle. If the dancer completed it without touching the swords, it was a good omen that the battle would go well. But if the dancer’s feet touched the swords, that was not a good omen at all!
The sean truibhes dance, whose name means “old trousers”, arose in the Highlands after the battle of Culloden in the 18th century. The British government banned the wearing of the kilt, so men had to wear trousers, and hated them. So the dance contains a number of foot tremors which depict the dancer trying to shake off the much-detested pants.
The Highland dances are done wearing a kilt, a white blouse with puffy sleeves, a velvet vest, argyle socks, and ghillie shoes.
I learned Highland dance on a concrete floor, and as a result I got really horrid shin splints. I was in agonizing pain for many months. If you decide to take classes, choose a teacher whose studio has a sprung floor!
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