Steve Wyrick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Hmmm, I didn't think of this one when I saw the original request. I do both > SCD and Scottish Step and am familiar with this dance although it isn't in > our current repertoire. I may have the steps for the RSCDS's version > written down somewhere if this is what the requestor is after. Jack, out of > curiosity, what are the other 3 dances in this pamphlet?
If it's the RSCDS leaflet, the other three are Flora Macdonald's Fancy, Scotch Measure and the Earl of Errol. All of those except for the King have been taken over by the »national dances« crowd, so if you get one of the books that competitive highland dancers use they should be in there (in subtly different versions). The RSCDS leaflet is no longer in the publications list on http://www.rscds.org/, but it would seem to be worthwhile to ask them whether they have any spare copies lying around, or would be willing to make one upon request. It can't be out of print all that long as I can remember seeing it in the list, and I've also seen copies of the actual leaflet that looked very modern and brand-new. > I suppose that "a fusion of ballet and Highland dance" is a pretty good way > of describing Step Dancing, at least as the RSCDS does it. I always thought > that the main difference between Step and Highland is that there tends to be > more movement horizontally (around the floor) and less vertically (i.e., the > steps tend to be done lower to the ground) than in Highland. Highland dancing, if you ask the purists, consists of just the Fling, the Seann Truibhas, the sword dance and the Strathspey & Highland Reel. There are lots and lots of highland-like dances, some of which have been recently devised and some of which go back at least 200 years or so. This includes the so-called »national dances«, most of which originally appeared during the second half of the 19th century (but have since been modified so much that their inventors would hardly recognize them any longer). In their current versions, some of these are very much like »genuine« highland dances (e.g., Barracks Johnnie), and others are quite balletic indeed even though they still incorporate lots of highland-type movements (e.g., Blue Bonnets O'er the Border). The Fletts, of Scottish dance history scholarship fame, have published a scholarly book called »Traditional Step-Dancing of Scotland« which examines the history of many of the well-known and not so well-known dances. In particular, a fair number of the dances used to be done in »hard shoes« rather than the soft pumps now in use for RSCDS-style country dancing and competitive highland dancing. The King of Sweden and the Earl of Errol are examples of these, as the »trebles« are most fun if you actually get to tap out the rhythm on the floor for people to hear. The kind of dancing that the RSCDS crowd goes for, e.g., during their (our?) annual summer school in St. Andrews is what they call »ladies' step dancing«, which involves soft shoes only, as well as white dresses and a tinkling piano. Very genteel, and not to be confused with the »Scottish step dancing« that is now coming back into fashion in Scotland by way of Cape Breton. Ladies' step dancing is what the girls get to do in place of Highland, which at RSCDS Summer School is boys only (age 16-99), thank you very much, ma'am. And of course neither of that has anything whatever to do with competitive highland dancing as done at highland games. Anselm -- Anselm Lingnau .......................................... [EMAIL PROTECTED] The first myth of management is that it exists. The second myth of management is that success equals skill. -- Robert Heller Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
