Scottish Country Dancing (or SCD, for short) is a modern form of the ‘country dancing’ popular in England and Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries. It involves groups of six to ten people (most of the time) of mixed sex (most of the time) — a “set” — dancing to the driving strains of reels, jigs and strathspeys played on the fiddle, accordion, flute, piano, drums, etc. (no bagpipes, mostly!).
The dance often combines solo figures for the “first couple” in the set with movements for all the dancers, although there is considerable variation — there are over 7000 different dances cataloged, many of which remain quite popular and are enjoyed by dancers all over the world. Many of these dances derive from traditional sources such as old manuscripts and printed dance collections, but the majority are contemporary dances devised over the past few decades, and in fact new dances continue to be published annually. This fusion of the traditional and the modern as well as its ongoing evolution are part of the attraction of Scottish country dancing.
Think of SCD as a cross between square or contra dance (although there is no caller) and ballet.
Anselm Lingnau
Think of SCD as a cross between square or contra dance (although there is no caller) and ballet; there are about a dozen basic figures which will get you through quite a number of dances, although many dances have their own quirks and specialties which make them unique and fun to dance. There is also more emphasis on “steps” than in, say, ceilidh dancing, but the basic technique can be learned at a week-end workshop or through a couple of months’ worth of practice evenings once a week. Even though there are so many dances, you don’t have to learn any of them by heart if you don’t want to — the programmes for balls and social evenings are usually published well before the event, so everybody can check their crib sheets. Also, at the event itself dances are often recapitulated or even sometimes walked through slowly before the music starts (although local custom may vary).
SCD is a very social form of dancing, not only because you get to dance with seven or so people at once instead of just with one partner (smiles and eye contact are almost mandatory, and if you want there is a lot of opportunity for relaxed “flirting”) but also because there are workshops, balls and social dances being held in places all over the world. It is nice to be able to travel and join a SCD group for a night nearly everywhere you go.
When country dancing came to Scotland in the 18th century, it was at first popular among the townspeople in places like Edinburgh, but spread throughout Scotland (at varying pace) and thrived there even when, during the 19th and early 20th century, more modern dances like the waltz, one-step etc. became fashionable in other places. Country dancing in Scotland was also influenced by other Scottish dances such as highland reels and so acquired a particular “Scottish” flavour.
In 1923, the Scottish Country Dance Society (SCDS, later “Royal” Scottish Country Dance Society or RSCDS) was founded in order to preserve traditional Scottish country dancing. Its patrons went out to watch people dance and collect the dances for publication. In the process, they also tried to reconstruct and publish dances from old manuscripts that were no longer actually danced, and standardized technical points like steps and footwork (which the common folk rarely bothered a lot about). It is debatable whether this standardization was actually a good thing as far as preserving the tradition of Scottish country dancing was concerned, but it has certainly done a lot for making SCD into something that can be enjoyed internationally. In fact, Scottish country dancing is probably more alive today than it ever was in the past, and this is to a very large extent due to the efforts of the RSCDS.
Today the RSCDS numbers about 20,000 members, with 159 branches and more than 300 Affiliated Groups located across six continents. (Click here for more details about the Atlanta Branch.) Many SCD groups world-wide are affiliated with the RSCDS even though they aren’t actually branches of the Society, and even more people enjoy SCD without being members of the RSCDS (or any group) at all.
To reach the local Atlanta Branch contacts, please use our Contact Form at the bottom of our About the Atlanta Branch / Contact Us page.
The international headquarters of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society can be found at:
Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
telephone: 0131-225 3854
12 Coates Crescent
Edinburgh EH3 7AF
Scotland
Reprint of original posting by Anselm Lingnau in 2014, as printed on the Strathspey Server (strathspey.org), an excellent resource for Scottish Country Dance and culture.