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           Scottish Country Dancing is a modern form of the 'country dancing' popular in  England and Scotland in the 18th century. 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 catalogued, of which  maybe 1000 or so are of  lasting and non-local importance. Many of these dances derive from traditional  sources such as old manuscripts and printed dance collections,   but a lot have been  devised in the fairly recent past, say the last fifty years or so. 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; 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 specialities  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  weekend  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).

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