Highland Dancing

Most Highland dances are done solo, an exception being the Foursome Reel or Highland Reel. But even in competitions, the Highland Reel dancers are judged individually

Highland dancing is a style of athletic solo dancing which developed in the Gaelic Highlands - Scotland. Highland dancing is considered a sport and forms part of the various Highland games, which take place each year, many of them outside of the UK.

Historically the Swords Dance was performed by warriors in many parts of Europe in the prehistoric period.

Forms of sword dancing are also recorded in the late Medieval period.

Ritual and combat dances that imitated epic deeds / martial skills were a familiar feature in Scottish tradition and folklore.

The earliest reference to these dances in Scotland is mentioned in the Scotichronicon which was compiled in Scotland by Walter Bower in the 1440s. The passage regards Alexander III and his second marriage to the French noblewoman Yolande de Dreux at Jedburgh on 14 October 1285.

"At the head of this procession were the skilled musicians with many sorts of pipe music including the music of bagpipes, and behind them others splendidly performing a war-dance with intricate weaving in and out. Bringing up the rear was a figure regarding whom it was difficult to decide whether it was a man or an apparition. It seemed to glide like a ghost rather than walk on feet. When it looked as if he was disappearing from everyone's sight, the whole frenzied procession halted, the song died away, the music faded, and the dancing contingent froze suddenly and unexpectantly."


Read the full article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_highland_dance