|
Highland Dancing
Perhaps nothing captures the spirit of Scottish culture better than
the sight of Highland dancing being performed at some Highland
gathering in some far flung corner of the world. This sophisticated
form of national dancing has been spread by Scottish migrants across
the world and competitions are now regularly organised in Australia,
Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and the United States. Whilst the
majority of dancers now entered into these competitions are female,
the roots of these ritualistic dances lay with warriors imitating
epic deeds from Scottish folklore.
According to tradition, the old kings and clan chiefs used the
Highland Games as a means to select their best men at arms, and the
discipline required to perform the Highland dances allowed men to
demonstrate their strength, stamina and agility.
Although likely to date back to a much earlier period, the first
documented evidence of intricate war-dances being performed to “the
wailing music of bagpipes” was at the second marriage of Alexander
III to his French bride Yolande de Dreux at Jedburgh in 1285.
It is
also said that Scottish mercenaries performed a sword dance before
the Swedish King John III at a banquet held at Stockholm Castle in
1573. The dance was apparently part of a plot to assassinate the
king, the weapons necessary to complete the dastardly deed ‘just
happened’ to be a natural prop for the festivities. Luckily for the
king the signal was never given to implement the plan.
A
reception given in honour of Anne of Denmark at Edinburgh in 1589
included a “Sword dance and Hieland Danses”, and in 1617 a sword
dance was performed before James VI. Still later in 1633, the
Incorporation of Skinners and Glovers of Perth performed their
version of the sword dance for Charles I whilst floating on a raft
in the middle of the River Tay.
It was
after the Battle of Culloden in
1746 that the government in London attempted to purge the Highlands
of all unlawful elements by seeking to crush the rebellious clan
system. An Act of Parliament was passed which made the carrying of
weapons and the wearing of kilts a penal offence. The Act was
rigorously enforced. So much so it seems that by the time the Act
was repealed in 1785, Highlanders had lost all enthusiasm for their
tartan garb and lacked the main prop required to perform their sword
dances.
 The
revival of Highland culture was greatly boosted when Queen Victoria
discovered the road north and recognised first-hand, the
magnificence of Scotland for herself. This revival saw the
beginnings of the modern Highland games, with of course, Highland
dancing forming an integral part.
Primarily to make judging easier however, the selection of dances
being performed were gradually narrowed down over the years and
decades that followed. The result of this was that many traditional
dances simply got lost, as they were no longer required for
competition purposes. In addition, over the years Highland dancing
has moved from being an exclusively male pursuit, to one that today
includes more than 95% of female dancers.
As far
as competitive Highland dancing is concerned, until 1986 only four
standard dances remained – The Sword Dance (Gille Chaluim), The
Seann Triubhas, The Highland Fling and The Reel of Tulloch. Like
many other dance traditions Highland dancing has changed and evolved
over the years, integrating elements that may have their roots set
in centuries old tradition with elements that are much more modern.
Some
of the legends associated with today’s modern dances include;
The Sword Dance (Gille Chaluim – Gaelic for “the servant of Calum”)
–
One
story said to originate from the times of Shakespeare’s
Macbeth, recalls that when King
Malcolm III (Canmore) of Scotland killed a fellow chieftain in
battle, he celebrated by dancing over his own bloody claymore
crossed with the sword of his enemy. Yet another story tells that a
soldier would dance around and over crossed swords prior to battle;
should his feet touch the blade during the dance however, then this
was considered an ill omen for the following day. Another and more
practical explanation is that the dance was simply an exercise used
to develop and hone the nibble footwork required to stay alive in
sword play.
The Seann Triubhas – Gaelic for “old trousers” –
Pronounced “shawn trewus”, the dance is romantically
associated with the highlander’s disgust at having the wear the
hated Sassenach trousers that they were forced to wear when
the kilt was banned following the 1745 rebellion. The initial slow
dance steps involve lots of leg shaking; symbolising attempts to
shed the hated garments; the final faster steps demonstrating the
joy of returning to the kilt when the ban ended in 1782.
The Highland Fling –
One
legend associates it as a warriors dance of triumph following a
battle. It was supposedly danced over a small round shield, with a
spike projecting from the centre, known as a Targe. Yet another
legend links the dance to a young boy imitating the antics of a stag
rearing and wheeling on a hillside; the curved arms and hands
representing the stag’s antlers.
The Reel of Tulloch (Ruidhle Thulaichean) –
It was supposedly on one cold morning in the village of
Tulloch in north-east Scotland, that many years ago the congregation
were waiting for the minister to let them into the church. To keep
warm the people began to stamp their feet and clap their hands, and
when someone started to whistle a highland tune the whole developed
into a lively dance. A set perhaps, later stolen by the cast of
Fame! A more gruesome story however, links the dance to a game of
football said to have been played by the men of Tulloch with the
severed head of an enemy.
© HUK
More British History
History of Scotland - History
of England - History of Wales
|