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Cowal Highland Gathering is home to both the Scottish and World Dancing Championships and dancers travel from all over the World to compete in the prestigious competition. It is every dancers dream to win a Gold Medal at the games. Today, I thought I would take you through the history of highland dancing and how it turned into the worldwide phenomenon it is today.
Tales of Highland Dance
A Little History of Highland Dance
Highland Dancing first came about hundreds of years ago, long before history was even recorded. This form of dance was first started by Scottish Warriors as one of the best ways to test men on their agility, strength, stamina and accuracy. It was how they selected which men were fit for battle. They also used dancing as a form of exercise. The first documented Highland Dancing to bagpipes recorded was in 1265 at the second marriage of Alexander III in Jedburgh.
However, in 1746 an act was passed by the government in London which made wearing kilts and carrying weapons illegal, this made the traditional sword dance completely out of the question and put an end to most Scottish traditions and as was their goal, really dampened the patriotic spirit. Even after the law was reverted the Scots didn't pick up where they had left off and it took time for culture and traditions to be re-instated. It wasn't until years later when Queen Victoria was in reign that the revival of Highland Games came about. The Queen travelled to Scotland and fell in love with both the country and culture, she was a key figure in the return of many traditions and in particular Highland Dancing.
As mentioned earlier, Highland Dancing was first performed by only men but today competitions are made up by 95% females. Women only started performing Highland Dancing in the early 20th Century during the First World War, as the women wanted to keep the traditions and culture alive while the men were away at war. Since then, the gender roles have slowly shifted resulting in a female led sport.
Competitive Highland Dancing
Competitive dancing is huge at Highland Gatherings, and has been for many years. To make the judging easier the number of highland dances performed competitively has been cut down to only four, when once there were a huge variation performed, meaning that sadly many dances have been lost and forgotten about over the years. The four main dances performed competitively are: The Sword Dance, The Seann Triubhas, The Highland Fling and The Reel of Tulloch. Although most of the traditional factors of the dancing remains, there are a few modern twists entwined in the competitions.
Know your steps
To be a true Highland Dancer it is important to know your Pas de basques, Fling steps and Sword steps.
There are 5 positions of the feet so surely it can't be that hard? There are also 5 positions of the arms though and if you are like me it is the introduction of doing 2 different things with legs and arms that makes Highland Dancing rather more daunting. However apparently the best way to learn is to do the same number of minutes of practise per day as your age. Oh dear quite a lot for me then! We will not detail the positions for you as you can find them on any good Highland Dancing website but the thing to keep in mind is the weight of the body must be maintained over the supporting foot, this allows you to point and place the working foot correctly throughout the different movements.
Feeling inspired already?
Aspiring dancers require mastery of the four basic Highland dances, namely, the Highland Fling, the Sword Dance, Seann Truibhas (pronounced ‘shawn trewes’), and the reel and of course all must be performed in the correct attire. More on that in a later blog.
The Highland Fling
History and origins of the dances are varied and the most common story is that the ‘Fling’ is that it is a celebratory dance, performed after victory in battle. Having survived battle the Clansmen tested their agility and skilled footwork further by dancing on a wooden shield with a spike protruding from the centre, also known as a targe. Other stories include the dance mimicking deer bounding across the heather, or stags at play with the arms representing the antlers, and the stags being an ancient sign of virility.
The Sword Dance
Also known as the Ghillie Callum, there is no better known Highland Dance than the Sword Dance, the ancient dance of war of the Scottish Gael and said to date back to King Malcolm Canmore. The 2 crossed swords that dancers perform over today represent the original Ghillie Callum's bloody claymore (a two-handed broadsword particular to Scotland), which he crossed over the even bloodier sword of one of MacBeth's Chiefs at the Battle of Dunsinane in 1054, and on defeat danced a celebration. This dance of exultation became a tradition among the highland warriors, and in subsequent battles, clansman would cross their swords and dance around them in the same way. As well as showing off their superior fitness and talent, dancing without touching the swords was seen as a good omen for battles ahead. Today you lose 5 marks in competition if you touch a sword.
Seann Truibhas
Gaelic for ‘Old Trousers’, some say that the dance was Higlanders showing off their new tartan trewes to the English King after the Act of Proscription, which banned the wearing of tartan, was repealed in 1783. Another variation of this interpretation is that the first part of the dance, which is slow and graceful represents a clansman wearing the trewes which they so hated for being restrictive (unlike the kilt); with the quick-time second part of the dance representing the Highlander’s returning joyfully to his traditional Highland dress. Freedom!
Reel of Tulloch
The reels are the "team" element of Highland dancing and are most similar to Scottish Country dancing. Each team consists of four dancers and each dancer is marked individually. Legend has it that the reel originated outside locked church in the Highland village of Tulloch, where it was danced by chilly parishioners stamping their feet and clapping their hands to keep warm as they waited for a tardy clergyman. The different reels performed by Highland Dancers include:
1. Hullachan
2. Strathspey and Half Tulloch
3. Strathspey and Highland Reel
4. Strathspey and Highland Reel and Half Tulloch.
Interview with...
Robert Gordon's College
We were delighted to speak with Robin Macpherson, Head of College at Robert Gordon's College about the College's Highland Dancers. Read on to find out more!
Robin, you joined Robert Gordon’s College (RGC) as the new Head of College in August 2020. What is unique about RGC and what drew you to the College?
Robert Gordon’s College has a unique culture that goes right back to its founding ethos and history. Robert Gordon deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest Scots for his entrepreneurial spirit and his philanthropy, and those values infuse the current culture at Robert Gordon’s. We are proud to offer the most extensive bursary programme in Scotland and we have an incredible alumni network which extends around the world. There is a very strong sense of community and identity that you very quickly become aware of.
What do you enjoy most about being Head of College?
Everything! It’s wonderful to have 3 year olds running around in their red nursery jumpers, up to the S6 pupils who not only contribute to the day-to-day running of the school but also cultivate a culture of teamwork and responsibility among the pupils. Being able to see toddlers grow into adults, and being a part of that journey, makes my job incredibly rewarding. I love being in education, and being Head of College at Robert Gordon’s really is one of the best jobs in the sector.
How important are Scottish arts and traditions to you personally? What does it mean for the College?
It would be hard to overstate the importance of Scottish arts and traditions to me personally. It was a big part of my childhood (my father was a piper and ran school pipe bands) and I grew up in Aberdeenshire being immersed in Scottish culture. I’m a historian by trade and did a Masters degree in Scottish history at the University of Edinburgh. My wife and I have lived abroad, and when we had our own children we wanted them to grow up with that same sense of Scottish identity and cultural capital. That’s a major reason why we moved to Aberdeen, and specifically Robert Gordon’s College.
We were excited to hear about the College’s Highland Dancers and Pipe Band visiting New York Tartan Week for the first time this year and taking part in the parade. That must have been quite something! How did it come about?
The idea of participating in the Tartan Day Parade was first discussed in April 2019 during a trip to Edinburgh with Robert Gordon’s College pipers, where they recorded Highland Cathedral with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers for their upcoming album. Parents were invited to join us for the day, and on the coach returning to Edinburgh, one parent mentioned having seen footage of the 2019 Tartan Day Parade. They said it looked incredible and wouldn’t it be amazing for the RGC Pipe Band and Highland Dancers to take part.
Just as we began planning, the pandemic hit, and the restrictions on international travel put these plans on hold. We were delighted to finally see our Pipers, Drummers, Highland Dancers, parents and former pupils proudly perform and participate in the world renowned Tartan Day Parade 2024.
How did the Highland Dancing pupils find the experience? What did they perform?
The NYC Tartan Day Parade was an unforgettable experience from start to finish for the Robert Gordon’s College Highland Dancers. Dancing and marching alongside our Pipe Band on the streets of New York with hundreds of people lining the pavements supporting, was a sight to cherish. Meeting the Grand Marshall, Actor Dougray Scott was a highlight too. The RGC Highland Dance Team performed excellent choreography whilst marching, a traditional Highland Fling and a Broad Swords composition.
It sounded like there was a lot going on when you were in New York including connecting with RGC Alumni. Please can you tell us more about that?
We are proud of the strong sense of community that exists at Robert Gordon’s College. This starts when our pupils begin their educational journey and continues for decades after they leave. When we announced to the community that our pipe band and highland dancers would be participating in the 2024 New York Tartan Week, our alumni showed strong support. Over 50 former pupils and their families travelled from across North America, Canada and Europe to join us for a weekend of events. Our Tartan Weekend began with a drinks reception on Friday evening, bringing everyone together to hear about the school's ambition for sport. We were delighted to have two alumni who are former Scottish rugby international players feature in this event. On Tartan Day, we had a brunch event for alumni prior to the Tartan Day Parade, followed by a post-parade party in Brooklyn, hosted by one of our New York based alumni. Furthermore, our pipers, drummers and dancers also benefited from a visit to Google’s New York office on 9th Avenue, where they enjoyed a tour and heard from Google staff who had lived in Scotland before relocating to the US.
Finally, we must ask of course about the tartans the College use in your uniforms and for your bands and dancers. There are lots of different Gordon tartans, is there a particular reason why you use the Dress Modern and the Clan Modern?
As a CCF we are proud to maintain a close and longstanding affiliation with the Gordon Highlanders, our sister regiment.
The Gordon Modern Tartan, worn by our Pipe Band, is the regimental tartan of the famous Gordon Highlanders. It was selected by Alexander, the 4th Duke of Gordon, from three patterns submitted by William Forsyth, a weaver and outfitter from the town of Huntly. In a letter dated 15th April 1793, Forsyth wrote, When I had the honour of communing with His Grace the Duke of Gordon, he was desirous to have patterns of the 42nd Regiment plaid with a small yellow stripe properly placed, and noted that the Duke commented, “I imagine the yellow stripes will appear very lively.”
Our Pipe Band proudly wears the Gordon Modern Tartan, along with the Gordon Highlanders Cap Badge in our Glengarries.
We also retain close links with the Gordon Highlanders Museum, which our cadets visit each November as part of their Remembrance activities. Pipe Major James Fraser was invited to perform a recital at the museum’s great room, and we frequently use the venue for band practices during the summer holidays.
Our Highland Dancers wear bespoke Robert Gordon’s College Highland Dancing navy velvet waistcoats, Dress Gordon tartan kilts with matching hose, a white Highland blouse, and black Highland dancing pumps when performing at events at home and abroad.
We see your kilt at the tartan week parade is a Macpherson Hunting Modern, do you have any other favourite tartans?
Well spotted! I also have a Macpherson Ancient which was my dad’s, so I wear both. Obviously, the Gordon modern dress is special to me as well. The first time I saw each of my daughters wearing their RGC kilt was a very proud (and emotional!) moment.
Thanks Robin for this wonderful interview! If you'd like to read more about RGC's pupils at New York Tartan Week 2024 click here and here.
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We hope you have enjoyed learning more about Highland Dancing. We would love to hear from you if you are an expert and have some knowledge to share or simply love this beautiful Scottish tradition.
