The Highland dances

The Highland Fling is by far the most iconic and traditional dance. The fling was a war dance which was danced on a shield and the whole point of the dance was to stay on the spot. Whilst dancing and jumping on the spot, dancers use their hands to represent the head of a stag.

The Sword dance is again a very iconic dance but is not danced and seen quite as often as the Fling. The story goes is that before battle, a soldier would put two swords down and dance over them. if the soldier didn't hit them and got through it successfully they would survive, if they touched them but they didn't move they would get injured but still survive. But...if they hit them and couldn't continue they would die during battle. Thankfully, if you do hit the swords which I have plenty of times, nothing happens!! Except disqualification.

Pronounced 'Sean Trews'. This dance dates back to the Jacobite's. It tells the story of when kilts were banned by the English. Eventually the ban was lifted but through out the first three steps of the dance, dancers do movements that resemble shaking off trousers that they were forced to wear. And in the final step, or the quick step, it is a victory for the Scottish. The ban has been lifted and they are allowed to wear their kilts again. In this dance, male dancers have the option to wear tartan trews.