Highland dancing
Highland Dancing is a Scottish form of show dance , which is characterized by fast footwork and powerful jumps. The dances are mostly solo dances or dances for four dancers. The music for these dances is practically always played by a bagpipe soloist. Highland dancing is to be clearly distinguished from Scottish country dancing .
Dances
The dances of highland dancing include:
- Highland Fling
- Sword Dance ( Gillie Callum )
- Seann Triubhas
- Strathspey
- Highland Reel
- Reel of Tulloch (Hullachan)
In addition to the actual Highland Dances , which - also by women - are danced in "Highland Dress" ( kilt ), there are character dances in which special costumes are worn, and numerous national dances in which different, mostly Scottish costumes are common: Kilt or tartan trousers (trews), for women also a tartan skirt or a white dress with a tartan plaid.
Most of the dances are solo dances. A specialty are the Strathspey, the Highland Reel and the Reel of Tulloch. They are not just solo step dances, but are danced by four dancers together. Solo steps (8 bars) and common figures (8 bars) alternate. These 16-measure sections are repeated several times, each time using a different step for the solo part. These dances are usually not danced individually, mostly the Strathspey is combined with one of the reels or with both. Then usually only half a Reel of Tulloch is danced. The following combinations are common:
- Strathspey and Highland Reel (2 + 2 steps)
- Strathspey and Half (Reel of) Tulloch (2 + 4 steps)
- Strathspey, Highland Reel and Half (Reel of) Tulloch (2 + 2 + 4 steps)
Reel and Strathspey are the traditional dances of Scotland and especially the Highlands. The combination of Strathspey and Reel is also danced by other dancers (Scottish country dance, military, ballroom dancing) under the name Foursome Reel (meaning: Reel for four dancers).
List of dances
There are standardized instructions for the following dances that are published or approved by the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing (SOBHD). The dances are danced at official competitions.
| dance | music | example |
|---|---|---|
| Highland Dances | ||
| Highland Fling | Strathspey | youtube.com |
| Sword Dance ( Gillie Callum ) | slow + quick: "Gillie Callum" (2/2) | youtube.com |
| Seann Triubhas | slow: "Whistle o'er the lave o't" (2/2) quick: Strathspey |
youtube.com |
| Strathspey and Highland Reel | slow: Strathspey quick: Reel |
|
| Strathspey and Half Tulloch | youtube.com | |
| Strathspey, Highland Reel and Half Tulloch | youtube.com | |
| Reel of Tulloch | "Reel of Tulloch" (2/2) | youtube.com |
| Character Dances | ||
| Sailor's hornpipe | Hornpipe (2/4) | youtube.com |
| Irish jig | Jig (6/8) | male female |
| Scottish National Dances | ||
| Scottish Lilt | 9/8 | youtube.com |
| Flora MacDonald's Fancy | 6/8 march | youtube.com |
| Wilt thou go to the barracks, Johnnie? | Strathspey | youtube.com |
| Highland Laddie | 2/4 | youtube.com |
| Blue Bonnets Over the Border | 6/8 march | youtube.com |
| Village Maid | 2/4 | youtube.com |
| Scotch Measure (Twasome) | Scotch Measure (2/4) | youtube.com |
| Earl of Erroll | 4/4 | youtube.com |
| The Cake Walk | "Whistling Rufus" (2/2) | youtube.com |
| A Tribute to JL McKenzie | ||
| Hebridean Laddie | ||
| Over the water to Charlie | ||
| The Dusty Miller | ||
history
The history of this dance form is unclear. Some of the dances may be based on traditional dances from the Scottish Highlands. The modern dance style, which shows strong influences from French ballet , was shaped by the Dancing Masters in the 18th and 19th centuries, but it developed into its own dance style.
Little is known about the older dances of the Scottish Highlands . Although dances, including sword and war dances, are mentioned more often in old sources, there are almost no descriptions of the dances. In particular, there is a lack of written evidence from the Gaelic-speaking Highlands themselves. The oldest evidence for the term “Highland Dance” dates back to 1589: “Sword dance and Hieland Danses” were shown at Anna's reception in Edinburgh. It is not known what these dances looked like.
In the 18th century, comparable solo dances were danced as stage dances in London, for example a "Highland Lilt" in 1702, "The Scotch Whim" in 1703, and "various Scots Dances" in 1719. These dances were probably the creations of professional dancers. The character dances , especially the Sailor's Hornpipe, were typical stage dances of the 18th century.
Dancing Masters
The period from 1750 to 1850 was the heyday of solo tap dancing in Scotland. They were part of the normal teaching program for dance teachers. Every not-too-small town had dance teachers, and itinerant dancing masters taught in the country , who moved around and stayed in one place for a few weeks at a time. In addition to ballroom dances , minuet and country dance , later waltzes and quadrilles , most Scots also learned solo dances in their youth. At that time people learned the dances for the fun of dancing. Competitions did not become common until later, and for a long time only professional dancers took part in competitions.
Many of the dances of this time were created by the Dancing Masters for individual students. They often used familiar melodies. For example, the melody "Miss Forbes 'Farewell to Banff" appears in a collection from 1795 under the title "Miss Robertson's High Dance or Miss Forbes' Farewell". Names like "Miss X's High Dance" were common.
The origin of the name High Dances is uncertain. Possibly it relates to lively jumping, in contrast to the bass dance of earlier times. Other names were pas seul and hornpipe . At that time, solo tap dances were generally referred to as hornpipe , regardless of the music. Even the Gillie Callum sword dance was called the hornpipe .
The children danced the solo dances at their dance school's graduation balls. Edward Topham describes such a children's ball in Edinburgh in 1774/1775:
“But the dancing masters enliven the entertainment by introducing between the minuets their High Dances, (which is a kind of Double Hornpipe) in the execution of which they excel perhaps the rest of the world. I wish I had it in my power to describe to you the variety of figures and steps they put into it. Besides all those common to the hornpipe, they have a number of their own, which I have never before seen or heard of; and their neatness and quickness in the performance is incredible: so amazing is their agility, that an Irishman, who was standing by me the other night, could not help exclaiming in his surprise ʻthat, by Jesus, he never saw children so handy with their feet in all his life.
Classical dance, ballet and stage dances had a great influence on high dances . Many of the Dancing Masters had been trained by French ballet dancers in London or France - at least for a while - and were often professional dancers themselves. Many details of highland dancing, such as the position of the feet and arms, still show these influences.
Wandering dance teachers existed until at least the late 19th century. The solo dances taught by James Scott Skinner (1843–1927), for example , included Highland Fling, Ghillie Callum, Cane Hornpipe, Three Graces, Jack O'Tar, Sailor's Hornpipe, Scotch Jig, Scotch Medley.
The oldest source with instructions for tap dances is probably a manuscript of a dance teacher from a (not mentioned) southern Scottish town, entitled: “The Dancing Steps of a Hornpipe and Gigg. As also Twelve of the Newest Country Dances, as they are performed at the Assembly and Balls. All Sett by Mr John M'gill for the use of his School, 1752 " . The manuscript has been lost, but a summary can be found in Notes & Queries , 1855, where individual steps are also listed but unfortunately not explained:
"... [in the hornpipe], the second, third, and fourth steps are" slips and shuffle forwards, "" spleet and floorish (? Florish) backwards, "" Hyland step forwards; " and there are elsewhere directions to “heel and toe forwards,” “single and double round step,” “slaps across forward,” “twist round backward,” “cross strocks aside and sink forward,” “short shifts,” “back hops , "And finally," happ forward and backward "to conclude the gigg with eclat."
John M'gill only speaks of "Hornpipe and Jig"; the dances with their own names were apparently not yet generally known in 1752. This is different in a manuscript almost 100 years younger than that, "Frederick Hill's book of Quadrilles and Country Dances, 22nd March, 1841" . It contains the oldest written instructions for twelve step dances, the majority of which are still danced today: Marquis of Huntly's Highland Fling, Shan Trews, Flowers of Edinburgh, King of Sweden, Highland Laddie, Blue Bonnets, Scotch Measure, Earl of Erroll, Dusty Miller, Wilt thou go to the barracks Johnnie, Irish Jig and Trumpet Hornpipe .
Competitions
The first highland dancing competitions were closely related to the Piping Competitions of the Highland Society of London (HSL), which had been held regularly since 1781. The Highland Society of London was founded in 1778 with the aim of preserving the Gaelic culture of the Highlands. In 1782 - also at the instigation of the HSL - the Dress Act , which had banned the wearing of highland clothing since 1747, was repealed.
A year earlier, in 1781, the HSL organized the first modern piping competition in Falkirk . In 1783 the competition was moved to Edinburgh, where it took place regularly until 1844. There, Scots Magazine reported in 1783, the Piper who had taken part in the competitions danced Highland dances ( “by desire of the company, several of the pipers afforded no small entertainment by giving specimen of their agility or spirit in Highland dancing . " )
What exactly was danced in the first few years is not known. For 1789, 1791, 1795 and 1798, Scots Magazine reported that only Highland Reels were danced, accompanied by pipe music. The dancers weren't specialized dancers, but almost all of the piper, and the dances were completely identical to the reels you could see at céilidhs or weddings in the highlands at the time. At first, the pipers only danced for entertainment. Competitions in highland dancing are only documented from 1815 onwards.
In 1799, the organizers of the Piping Competition in Edinburgh attempted to expand the dance repertoire, and performances by professional dancers were also shown. Still, Highland Reels remained the most popular dance until after 1830. In 1802 "Highland Reels and Strathspeys" were danced. In 1812 a "Twasome Strathspey" was introduced, which never became popular. In 1829 the "Reel of Tulloch" was introduced, in 1832 the sword dance "Gillie Calum" - this was the first time that this dance was seen in the Lowlands. The Highland Fling was introduced around 1840.
Highland Games
In 1819 the first modern Highland Games took place in St. Fillans in Perthshire . The program of St. Fillans 1822 lists the following disciplines: Sword Dance, Highland Reels, Foot Race 150 yards, Ancient Scotch Sword Dance, Wearing the most correct Highland Garb, Playing the Great Highland Bag-Pipe, Jump at a standing Leap, Gaelic Bard (best song or essay), Gaelic Singing, Throwing of the Putting Stone .
At first only highland reels and sword dances were danced; the Highland Fling and Seann Triubhas were still missing. Soon afterwards the dance repertoire of the competitions largely corresponded to the modern one. The Braemar Gathering in 1853 danced: Highland Fling, Reel of Tulloch, Seann Triubhas ; at the Luss Highland Games 1893: Highland Fling, Ghillie Callum, Reel, Sailor's Hornpipe, Irish Jig, Shean Treubhais .
The dancers were all male at first. The only exception was a professional dancer who performed in Edinburgh in 1799. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the first woman took part as a competitor in a highland dance competition .
World Highland Dancing Championships have existed since 1934. They take place annually at the Cowal Highland Gathering in Dunoon .
In the 20th century there was a certain standardization of dances and steps, which was completed in 1955 with the publication of the Textbook of the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing . In the textbook the permitted steps of the Highland Dances ( Highland Fling, Sword Dance, Seann Triubhas, Strathspey, Highland Reel, Reel of Tulloch ) are specified with all details of their execution.
The standardization had become necessary because there were more and more problems with the evaluation of the dancers, so that the Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance voted in 1949 to set up a committee to solve these problems. This body, the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing (SOBHD) was established in 1950.
With the standardization of the dances, interest in other steps and other solo dances was also lost. The SOBHD now also published standardized instructions for the Sailor's Hornpipe and Irish Jig , and it wasn't until the 1960s that the Highland Games included other of the old solo dances as Scottish National Dances .
Individual evidence
- ↑ SOBHD Dress Code (pdf; 30 kB) ( Memento of the original from April 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Peter Knight, RSCDS (Ed.): Scottish Country Dancing . HarperCollins Publishers, Glasgow 2000, ISBN 0-00-472500-X , pp. 118 f., 165 (English).
- ↑ Emmerson 1972, p. 31.
- ↑ Emmerson 1972, p. 160.
- ↑ a b c d Flett & Flett 1996, pp. 1-11.
- ^ Edward Topham: Letters from Edinburgh; Written in the Years 1774 and 1775 . J. Dodsley, London 1776 (English). P. 343.
- ↑ Emmerson 1972, p. 163.
- ^ Notes and Queries, Vol. Xii (July - December 1855), pp. 159-160 online in the Internet Archive
- ↑ Scottish Directory - HSL ( Memento of the original from January 26, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on January 31, 2011)
- ^ Flett & Flett: Some Early Highland Dancing Competitions. Aberdeen Univ. Review 36, no. 115 (Fall 1956), pp. 345-358.
- ↑ Cannon 2002, p. 116.
- ↑ Emmerson 1972, pp. 244ff; Gibson 1998, pp. 134ff.
- ↑ Emmerson 1972, pp. 247f.
literature
- Roderik D. Cannon: The Highland Bagpipe and its Music. New Edition . John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 2002, ISBN 0-85976-549-0 (English).
- George S. Emmerson: A Social History of Scottish Dance. Ane Celestial Recreation . McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 1972, ISBN 0-7735-0087-1 (English).
- JF Flett, TM Flett: Traditional Step Dancing in Scotland . Scottish Cultural Press, Edinburgh 1996, ISBN 1-898218-45-5 (English).
- John G. Gibson: Traditional Gaelic Bagpiping 1745-1945 . McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal 1998, ISBN 0-7735-1541-0 (English).
- Highland dancing. The textbook of the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing . 6th edition. Lindsay, Glasgow 1993, ISBN 1-898169-01-2 (English).