Forum: Highland / Highland
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By Hannahmom

re: The History of Highland Dancing
By Jennys_mum

re: The History of Highland Dancing
By macthistle
re: The History of Highland Dancing (karma: 1)
By HIGHLAND_JnK

re: The History of Highland Dancing
By HIGHLAND_JnK

re: The History of Highland Dancing
By Ruth



re: The History of Highland Dancing
By HIGHLAND_JnK

re: The History of Highland Dancing
By Ruth



re: The History of Highland Dancing
By Dutch_Fling
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By HIGHLAND_JnK

re: The History of Highland Dancing
By HIGHLAND_JnK

re: The History of Highland Dancing
By HIGHLAND_JnK

re: The History of Highland Dancing - The Hornpipe
By HIGHLAND_JnK

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66 Replies to The History of Highland Dancing

By Hannahmom


On Fri Mar 14, 2008 07:24 PM
Wonderful post!!!!! Thankyou very much!!!
Margaret


By Jennys_mum


On Fri Mar 14, 2008 08:24 PM
very enteresting thanks for posting.

By macthistle

On Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:53 PM
SUPER JOB!!!!! Highland rebel

By HIGHLAND_JnK


On Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:12 AM
Hi Highlandrebel
I might just be able to help a bit with the Lilt. I have been doing a little digging on the Lilt and have come up with a few bits and bobs, but like you I have found nothing really resembling a cohesive story. I suppose the closest I have to one is that the dance was created in a response to growing female participation in dancing at highland games.
The Scottish Lilt, one of the National Dances, is a gentle flowing dance. It was invented for female competitors at the Aboyne Highland Games, which prohibits female competitors from wearing the kilt. The Aboyne dress is a shortened version of a popular 17th century plaid Highland dress
( www.neflgames.com . . . )
The Lilt or Scottish Jig is another pretty dance; it is unusual in that the counting is in sixes rather than eights, which is the norm. The dance is commonly performed to 'Drops O Brandy' or the 'Battle of the Somme', a spirited tune, which belies the tragedy of the battle it commemorates. The forces of most Commonwealth countries were present at this battle
( www.electricscotland.com . . . ).
Some of the earliest records of solo dancing in Scotland also refer to females dancing to entertain Dukes and other gentry. It is recorded that the Scottish Lilt originated in Perthshire some time after 1746 and is one of the earliest recorded solo womens dances
( www.sqrchdi.com . . . ).
More generally, searching for references to 'Scottish Jig' brought up some conflicting evidence if the Lilt and Scottish Jig are one and the same. These excerpts date the Scottish Jig as a musical style over 100 years earlier than the emergence of the lilt as a dedicated female dance.
It is probable that Scottish jigs were derived from the European Gigue style. There have been jigs in Scotland since at least the 16th century and some Scottish jigs were known in England and France at this time, so it may be that the jig form originated in Scotland. At that time in England the jig was described as a representative type of Scottish music and the style considered difficult for English composers to write. Jigs were very popular in Scotland in the 17th century many from the bagpipe repertoire, but in the past slow jigs were also played
( www.scotlandsmusic.com . . . ).
Standing Stones.com quotes Henry George Farmer ("A History of Music in Scotland". London, 1947 pp. 231-233) as saying :
Neither can the dance forms be ignored, for it was these that produced the more extensive rhythmic variety in these days, and it was in their measures that the great composers, Byrd, Robert Johnson, Bull and Farnaby, wrote most of their music. Among the Scottish national dance forms of the 17th century were the hornpipe, jig, reel and lilt. The hornpipe or sean triubhas may have been a relic of an old Celtic dance. [ ]
( www.standingstones.com . . . )
I'll see if I can add anything further to the other dances
Mike
I might just be able to help a bit with the Lilt. I have been doing a little digging on the Lilt and have come up with a few bits and bobs, but like you I have found nothing really resembling a cohesive story. I suppose the closest I have to one is that the dance was created in a response to growing female participation in dancing at highland games.
The Scottish Lilt, one of the National Dances, is a gentle flowing dance. It was invented for female competitors at the Aboyne Highland Games, which prohibits female competitors from wearing the kilt. The Aboyne dress is a shortened version of a popular 17th century plaid Highland dress
( www.neflgames.com . . . )
The Lilt or Scottish Jig is another pretty dance; it is unusual in that the counting is in sixes rather than eights, which is the norm. The dance is commonly performed to 'Drops O Brandy' or the 'Battle of the Somme', a spirited tune, which belies the tragedy of the battle it commemorates. The forces of most Commonwealth countries were present at this battle
( www.electricscotland.com . . . ).
Some of the earliest records of solo dancing in Scotland also refer to females dancing to entertain Dukes and other gentry. It is recorded that the Scottish Lilt originated in Perthshire some time after 1746 and is one of the earliest recorded solo womens dances
( www.sqrchdi.com . . . ).
More generally, searching for references to 'Scottish Jig' brought up some conflicting evidence if the Lilt and Scottish Jig are one and the same. These excerpts date the Scottish Jig as a musical style over 100 years earlier than the emergence of the lilt as a dedicated female dance.
It is probable that Scottish jigs were derived from the European Gigue style. There have been jigs in Scotland since at least the 16th century and some Scottish jigs were known in England and France at this time, so it may be that the jig form originated in Scotland. At that time in England the jig was described as a representative type of Scottish music and the style considered difficult for English composers to write. Jigs were very popular in Scotland in the 17th century many from the bagpipe repertoire, but in the past slow jigs were also played
( www.scotlandsmusic.com . . . ).
Standing Stones.com quotes Henry George Farmer ("A History of Music in Scotland". London, 1947 pp. 231-233) as saying :
Neither can the dance forms be ignored, for it was these that produced the more extensive rhythmic variety in these days, and it was in their measures that the great composers, Byrd, Robert Johnson, Bull and Farnaby, wrote most of their music. Among the Scottish national dance forms of the 17th century were the hornpipe, jig, reel and lilt. The hornpipe or sean triubhas may have been a relic of an old Celtic dance. [ ]
( www.standingstones.com . . . )
I'll see if I can add anything further to the other dances
Mike
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By menziegirl
By menziegirl
On Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:53 AM
Thank you highlandrebel for the information. I love going on YouTube anyway. I've always found interesting stuff on anything Scottish there.

By HIGHLAND_JnK


On Thu Mar 20, 2008 06:49 AM
Edited by HIGHLAND_JnK (187737) on 2008-03-20 06:51:15
Hi All,
I have just been looking round for snippits of info on the history behind the Barracks Johnny, and have come accross an article by Mats Melin in 'Dance On' in which (IMO) he exhaustively examines the possible origions of the dance.
If you like the old backstory of the recruiting sergent and regimental dancer or the pretty girl and regimental parrade in the town square, I urge you NOT to read Mats' article. But, if like me, you would rather have a bigger picture it is truely a facinating insight into how Highland Dance might evolve over time.
I'll leave the choice of whether to read it up to you and just post the link to his article.
danceon.co.uk . . .
And to his website Taigh Dannsa' which is similarly engaging. I suspect the sections most of interest would be Hebridean, Orkney and Step Dancing Under the Dance info headding .
www.matsmelin.com
Enjoy
Mike
I have just been looking round for snippits of info on the history behind the Barracks Johnny, and have come accross an article by Mats Melin in 'Dance On' in which (IMO) he exhaustively examines the possible origions of the dance.
If you like the old backstory of the recruiting sergent and regimental dancer or the pretty girl and regimental parrade in the town square, I urge you NOT to read Mats' article. But, if like me, you would rather have a bigger picture it is truely a facinating insight into how Highland Dance might evolve over time.
I'll leave the choice of whether to read it up to you and just post the link to his article.
danceon.co.uk . . .
And to his website Taigh Dannsa' which is similarly engaging. I suspect the sections most of interest would be Hebridean, Orkney and Step Dancing Under the Dance info headding .
www.matsmelin.com
Enjoy
Mike
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By dancin3

By dancin3


On Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:55 PM
I think this thread should be made a sticky. It would encourage people to read and watch clips about the history of highland dance and inspire others to add on!
Does anyone have any "Funtak" or "Sticky tape?" Maybe it would just be easier to press the Mod button!
Does anyone have any "Funtak" or "Sticky tape?" Maybe it would just be easier to press the Mod button!

By Ruth




On Fri Mar 21, 2008 01:27 PM
Thank-you for posting this 
It was very interesting to read
Ruth

It was very interesting to read
Ruth


By HIGHLAND_JnK


On Tue Mar 25, 2008 07:47 AM
Hi All,
I've been digging around in the dust again and found a snippet on the Heilan' Laddie which I thought I'd share with you all. This snippet is reported in an article by Lorrraine Ritchie on an Exchange she had with Mats Merlin (dated 2000). While Mats' comments do not refute in any way that the Highland Laddie was popular among the soldiers of the First World War they do mean that the dance the soldies enjoyed must, by default, be a related but earlier version than the one danced today. Mats' comments shed some light on the origins of both the 'original' and 'newer' forms of the Laddie.
At the very end of the exchange between Lorraine and Mats (incidently reporting on his time teaching in New Zealand, Thanks Dargonlady1 for your link - most interesting-) was the following quote from Mats.
I've been digging around in the dust again and found a snippet on the Heilan' Laddie which I thought I'd share with you all. This snippet is reported in an article by Lorrraine Ritchie on an Exchange she had with Mats Merlin (dated 2000). While Mats' comments do not refute in any way that the Highland Laddie was popular among the soldiers of the First World War they do mean that the dance the soldies enjoyed must, by default, be a related but earlier version than the one danced today. Mats' comments shed some light on the origins of both the 'original' and 'newer' forms of the Laddie.
At the very end of the exchange between Lorraine and Mats (incidently reporting on his time teaching in New Zealand, Thanks Dargonlady1 for your link - most interesting-) was the following quote from Mats.
"Regarding the Highland Laddie, the tune is very old. Known in Medieval lute manuscripts. The Hebridean version of the solo dance is from about 1850-60. The one adopted by the SOBHD is DG MacLennan's (Whose brother DH MacLennan emigrated to New Zealand and taught dancing there) version. He saw a Highland Laddie in South Uist when judging the Askernish Games in about 1925, and later modified it to the version you see today. The original is a very nice dance indeed".
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By wiccawillow
By wiccawillow

On Tue Mar 25, 2008 09:21 AM
Maybe it`s about time for some academic study. It`s nice to read the different stories everybody has on some of the dances.
I don`t think modern ballet comes from Highland Dancing though..
Some of the national dances are quite young in origin and we have different stories about them.
The Blue Bonnets,is about the scotsmen raiding the northern Borders of England.
The Earl of Errol , i doubt this dance was made for a man, to delicate,we were told is was made for the wife/lady of errol with the showing of the ankles being nearly not done.
According to my former teacher the jig was a leftover from the variety shows.
The hornpipe was taught by the dancemasters in the 19th century(late)but then again nearly every country has a hornpipe version, in holland it`s the horlepiep.
I have a bit of an issue with the cakewalk, the history of slaves dancing over a pie/cake makes me think twice,nasty and difficult piece of history.Altough its one of the funnier dances and you do it with someone instead of dancing solo.
But these are some of my views, you don`t have to agree with them.t
there are still loads of national dances around, these were once in the sdta booklet and some are in the UKA booklet.
I don`t think modern ballet comes from Highland Dancing though..
Some of the national dances are quite young in origin and we have different stories about them.
The Blue Bonnets,is about the scotsmen raiding the northern Borders of England.
The Earl of Errol , i doubt this dance was made for a man, to delicate,we were told is was made for the wife/lady of errol with the showing of the ankles being nearly not done.
According to my former teacher the jig was a leftover from the variety shows.
The hornpipe was taught by the dancemasters in the 19th century(late)but then again nearly every country has a hornpipe version, in holland it`s the horlepiep.
I have a bit of an issue with the cakewalk, the history of slaves dancing over a pie/cake makes me think twice,nasty and difficult piece of history.Altough its one of the funnier dances and you do it with someone instead of dancing solo.
But these are some of my views, you don`t have to agree with them.t
there are still loads of national dances around, these were once in the sdta booklet and some are in the UKA booklet.
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By luv2dancecalgary
By luv2dancecalgary
On Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:14 PM
Really intersesting post. Its great to know the history of the dances. Thanks!
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By highlandgirl11
By highlandgirl11

On Mon Mar 31, 2008 07:57 PM
Thanks for the info... it was great!

By Ruth




On Sat Apr 05, 2008 02:46 AM
Just some interesting little bits of information I have found:
Swords originally the competitors brought their own sword to competitions, later swords were supplied by the organiser and consisted of whatever the competition organiser had available. Each dancer on the stage could be dancing over a different set of swords. Eventually, with increased supplies of swords and the need for all dancers to have the same degree of difficulty/advantage in equipment, all swords supplied for competitions became standard in design and use. Currently all competitions and championships should supply double hilts of the standard design.
Jig Shoes Once the Jig would have been performed in black gillie hard-soled shoes, character shoes or Irish hard shoes with buckles - sometimes with toes pieces covered with nails, sometimes taps or jinglers. In 1985 red, green, black and white was permitted. However the current instructions from SOBHD are now quite definite and the standardised Jig shoe can be red, green, or black in colour, the shoes should have no taps but can have jinglers.
Hornpipe Hats in the early years in Australia, dancers wore navy or white sailors hats. Many dancers procured actual Australian Navy ribbons with the ships name. Eventually some competitors printed the name of their dancing studio or personal name on the ribbon, which was deemed unethical for the judges to observe at competitions. After some complaints this practice was banned. SOBHD current instructions are for all dancers to wear a Cap: Regulation white or navy with circular crown (SOBHD, 1985).
Ruth
Swords originally the competitors brought their own sword to competitions, later swords were supplied by the organiser and consisted of whatever the competition organiser had available. Each dancer on the stage could be dancing over a different set of swords. Eventually, with increased supplies of swords and the need for all dancers to have the same degree of difficulty/advantage in equipment, all swords supplied for competitions became standard in design and use. Currently all competitions and championships should supply double hilts of the standard design.
Jig Shoes Once the Jig would have been performed in black gillie hard-soled shoes, character shoes or Irish hard shoes with buckles - sometimes with toes pieces covered with nails, sometimes taps or jinglers. In 1985 red, green, black and white was permitted. However the current instructions from SOBHD are now quite definite and the standardised Jig shoe can be red, green, or black in colour, the shoes should have no taps but can have jinglers.
Hornpipe Hats in the early years in Australia, dancers wore navy or white sailors hats. Many dancers procured actual Australian Navy ribbons with the ships name. Eventually some competitors printed the name of their dancing studio or personal name on the ribbon, which was deemed unethical for the judges to observe at competitions. After some complaints this practice was banned. SOBHD current instructions are for all dancers to wear a Cap: Regulation white or navy with circular crown (SOBHD, 1985).
Ruth


By Dutch_Fling

On Fri May 02, 2008 04:25 PM
Wow it's really interesting to read all these posts about the history of highland dancing! I already knew something about the history of Highland dancing, because I made a schoolassignment about it
!!! But I think that the history of highland dancing goes way back, and is really interesting1 I would love to learn more! My former teacher first began telling us the history of a dance before learning it to us... Her doing this made us realise the meaning of most of the steps! It has been really usefull!
Greetings!:D

Greetings!:D
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By highlandSK

By highlandSK


On Fri May 09, 2008 05:45 PM
Edited by highlandSK (179034) on 2008-05-09 17:50:02
Highlandrebel, that was an awsome post. I have been dancing for nine or so years and I knew the basic stories of the dances but your post qlarified the stories for me. I really give Jenny Douglas credit for being one of the first women to do the Scottish dancing and I think she is a huge role model for all us female dancers. Thanks again.
-HighlandSK

-HighlandSK
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By Wee_FootedDancer
By Wee_FootedDancer

On Wed May 14, 2008 09:08 AM
Wow! that is a wonderful post!
I really enjoyed reading it!
I really enjoyed reading it!

By HIGHLAND_JnK


On Wed May 14, 2008 09:55 AM
I've been meaning to link this up for a while now but here is a link to a bundle of historic stuff about the jig.
www.dance.net . . .
Also the link from that thread to a picture (coloured in photo dated 1906) of the 'Irish jig' which is so much closer to the jig we dance than I would have thought possible
www.gettyimages.com . . .
Also a link to the origins of the shillelaigh, which is very interesting in its own right and explains why male jig dancers carry one in the parody.
books.google.co.uk . . .
Just didn't want all this to drop off the end of the page.
Mike
www.dance.net . . .
Also the link from that thread to a picture (coloured in photo dated 1906) of the 'Irish jig' which is so much closer to the jig we dance than I would have thought possible
www.gettyimages.com . . .
Also a link to the origins of the shillelaigh, which is very interesting in its own right and explains why male jig dancers carry one in the parody.
books.google.co.uk . . .
Just didn't want all this to drop off the end of the page.
Mike
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By Lexis_mom
By Lexis_mom
On Wed May 14, 2008 10:28 AM
Thank you all so much for your research! I cant wait for my daughter to get home so we can get into some of these stories!
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By eilidhstout
By eilidhstout

On Sat May 24, 2008 11:29 AM
hey thanks for posting such a great topic even my mum liked reading it!

By HIGHLAND_JnK


On Wed May 28, 2008 01:08 PM
Following on from Highlandrebel's post on her teacher's Youtube links for her teacher dancing with the Wicked Tinkers one of the comments on a related link
youtube.com . . .
caught my eye.
If you enjoy reading about the history of the dances you will love this article featuring quotes from none other than Adam Smith (the 18th century Scottish Enlightenment essayist) and which describes amongst other fascinating dramatic jigs one called 'Cailleach an Dudain' (variously the 'Old Lady of the Mill' or the 'Hag of the Mill' - depending on the source).
www.jstor.org . . .
In addition, within these thirteen pages we can just possibly see the providence behind the Wicked Tinkers' tune 'Whollop!' in one description of an otter hunt, altough there are variations on this theme.
The descriptions of some of these jigs are not for the faint of heart though as there are several mentions of violent themes . Also there are suggestions that some some versions are danced as a stick fight between man and woman resulting in the death of the woman and her subsequent resurection.
Some sources go so far as to suggest though that the 'Cailleach an Dudain' was a pagan ritual dance performed to represent the turning of the seasons from harvest through winter to the rebirth of spring. That I leave up to you to decide, it is utterly fascinating none the less and I hope you will read it through to the end.
Mike
youtube.com . . .
caught my eye.
If you enjoy reading about the history of the dances you will love this article featuring quotes from none other than Adam Smith (the 18th century Scottish Enlightenment essayist) and which describes amongst other fascinating dramatic jigs one called 'Cailleach an Dudain' (variously the 'Old Lady of the Mill' or the 'Hag of the Mill' - depending on the source).
Dramatic Jigs in Scotland, J. F. Flett and T. M. Flett,
Folklore, Vol. 67, No. 2 (Jun., 1956), pp. 84-96 (article consists of 13 pages) Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.
www.jstor.org . . .
In addition, within these thirteen pages we can just possibly see the providence behind the Wicked Tinkers' tune 'Whollop!' in one description of an otter hunt, altough there are variations on this theme.
The descriptions of some of these jigs are not for the faint of heart though as there are several mentions of violent themes . Also there are suggestions that some some versions are danced as a stick fight between man and woman resulting in the death of the woman and her subsequent resurection.
Some sources go so far as to suggest though that the 'Cailleach an Dudain' was a pagan ritual dance performed to represent the turning of the seasons from harvest through winter to the rebirth of spring. That I leave up to you to decide, it is utterly fascinating none the less and I hope you will read it through to the end.
Mike

By HIGHLAND_JnK


On Thu May 29, 2008 06:50 AM
Edited by HIGHLAND_JnK (187737) on 2008-05-29 06:57:34
OK first a quick apology as I'll have to say that many of you won't be able to see the full Jstor article I posted above. Access is limited in many cases to academic establishments like universities.
However I can post another link for you all to see which is a lecture by Joan Flett on the ethnographic collection of traditional dance in Britain.
What that actually means is that Joan and her husband would travel to isolated communities and document the old dances they found there, either from the local peoples' memory or from various written record.
If you can't get at the Jstor article above I'd suggest you take a look at this link as there is quite a bit of reference to highland dance as was in the 17th and 18th centuries - and up to as late as the 1950s too.
In total the video is about 50 mins long and covers lots of different forms of dance - from ballroom to ceilidh and morris to Scottish Country
-Enjoy and please let me know what you think
Mike
video.google.com . . .
However I can post another link for you all to see which is a lecture by Joan Flett on the ethnographic collection of traditional dance in Britain.
What that actually means is that Joan and her husband would travel to isolated communities and document the old dances they found there, either from the local peoples' memory or from various written record.
If you can't get at the Jstor article above I'd suggest you take a look at this link as there is quite a bit of reference to highland dance as was in the 17th and 18th centuries - and up to as late as the 1950s too.
In total the video is about 50 mins long and covers lots of different forms of dance - from ballroom to ceilidh and morris to Scottish Country
-Enjoy and please let me know what you think
Mike
video.google.com . . .
re: The History of Highland Dancing
By Seanmhair
By Seanmhair
On Thu May 29, 2008 06:04 PM
So much great information! I am in awe of all your research...thank you! I believe that in order to truly appreciate the dances and our cultural heritage we should be familiar with the history they represent. As a Cape Bretoner I truly appreciate our Scottish heritage ! Other Capers will know what I mean...

By HIGHLAND_JnK


On Wed Jun 25, 2008 09:50 AM
Edited by HIGHLAND_JnK (187737) on 2008-06-25 10:07:22 And another thing....
OK so now I'm pretty busy at work all of a sudden, I'm not able to hang around on the board much just now.
That said I thought I'd just drop this in to the History thread. It's from a discussion board called thesession.org frequented by musicians many with an interest in folk music and its history. The Discussion in question looks at the Hornpipe in relation to it's origin and development. I found it most interesting
www.thesession.org . . .
Oh and another thing...
Here is a page from a conference held on the Hornpipe back in 1993.
I've not worked my way through from start to finish yet but again very interesting indeed from the point of view of the identification of the early Highland Games performances of the Sailors Hornpipe incorporated into the Highland Gathering at Luss, in Dumbartonshire, in 1893
chrisbrady.itgo.com . . .
Cheers all ... will pop back from time to time when I can
Mike
That said I thought I'd just drop this in to the History thread. It's from a discussion board called thesession.org frequented by musicians many with an interest in folk music and its history. The Discussion in question looks at the Hornpipe in relation to it's origin and development. I found it most interesting
www.thesession.org . . .
Oh and another thing...
Here is a page from a conference held on the Hornpipe back in 1993.
I've not worked my way through from start to finish yet but again very interesting indeed from the point of view of the identification of the early Highland Games performances of the Sailors Hornpipe incorporated into the Highland Gathering at Luss, in Dumbartonshire, in 1893
chrisbrady.itgo.com . . .
Cheers all ... will pop back from time to time when I can
Mike
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