A Comprehensive Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

This website is intended as a reference to the formal terms used in describing and teaching the traditional dancing of Scotland.

How to use this Scottish Country Dancing website

Select Comprehensive DICTIONARY Of Dance Terms (on the side navigation bar on every page) and then select from the alphabetical list of links. This is the simplest way to find the explanation of a Scottish Country Dancing term.

You may then discover that the definition refers to a closely associated term. If so, follow the link at the bottom of the page to find the associated page. For example, when you have found the description of Strathspey half poussette, it refers to Strathspey poussette at the same logical level and to the logically higher levels Poussette movements and Complex figures.

Alternatively, if you know that the term is related to one of the main links on the side navigation bar, choose that link. Then, sometimes via an intermediate link, find the exact term you seek. For example, if you seek Corner positions, go to Set structure. Then, via the link at the bottom of the page, to Positions and on to the desired page. This approach consolidates the reader's understanding of a topic by showing its relationship to the various associated topics. Those wishing to adopt this method may find the following description of the structure of this website helpful.

The Structure Of This Scottish Country Dancing Dictionary

The navigation bar on the right hand side of each page shows the main elements of the structure.

This Home Page is primarily concerned with how to use the website.

Comprehensive DICTIONARY Of Dance Terms links to an alphabetical list with a page for every term defined.
As formally shown in the Site map, the pages for each defined term are also arranged hierarchically under the following eight logical headings, all of which are included in the side navigation bar: Types of Dance; Footwork; Hand Positions (and other niceties); Types of Sets; Set Structure; Figures; Complex Figures; and Timing. The relevant part of the Site map is shown at the bottom of each page with links to every page at the same logical level (except where it would duplicate the side navigation bar) and to every logically associated page at the next lower level, if any. Thus, for example, the page, Usage of steps, has the following links:
Footwork
  Usage Of Steps
    Travelling Steps
    Setting Steps
  Steps for Jigs, Reels and Hornpipes
  Steps for Strathspeys
  Other dancing Steps.

Preface covers organization and conventions, notably the significance of Italic font, and the arrangement of content and also has links to:
The Objectives Of Scottish Country Dancing, Some Scottish Country Dancing History and Acknowledgements.

Types of Dance is concerned with the classification of Scottish Country Dances by musical tempo and has links to:
Quick tempo, Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes, Strathspeys, Medleys and Ceilidh dances.

Footwork covers the Scottish Country Dance steps needed for Scottish Dances classified by musical tempo with main links to:
Usage of steps; Steps for Jigs, Reels and Hornpipes which has detailed descriptions and diagrams in the lower level links: Slip step, Skip change, Pas-de-basque and Step up (or down); Steps for Strathspeys which has detailed descriptions and diagrams in the lower level links: Strathspey travelling step, Strathspey setting step, Highland Schottische setting step and Step up (or down) in Strathspeys; and Other steps. This should help those seeking to learn dance Footwork.

Hand Positions (and other niceties) covers the various ways in which hands are joined (Holds or Grips) and includes some other matters of SCD etiquette (Eye contact and Precedence).

Types of Sets describes the formats of The set in Scottish Country Dancing and the numbers of Scottish Country Dancers required for each format. The essential feature, Progression, which, in most Scottish dances, enables every dancer to perform at least one Repeat in every Place of the Active set, is covered in detail.
Each type of Longwise set is covered with an especially full description of the 2 Couple repeat in 4 couple set and the 3 Couple repeat in 4 couple set formats. The various types of Square set and the Triangular set are covered under Circular sets. Other sets links to Round the room and Irregular sets; Scottish Country Dance Music gives an introduction to the musical structure necessary for the various formats.

Set Structure is concerned with the "geography" of the various formats of The set and "navigation" within and around it. The defined terms are categorized under the main links: Dancers; the Positions within The set to and from which they move; and the absolute and relative Directions by which they achieve those movements.

Figures covers all the basic choreographed movements from which the complete Repeat of a Scottish dance is made up. This section defines the simpler movements which the beginner learning dancing needs to master, because they will appear in most class or ball programmes. They are also the building blocks from which the more Complex figures are constructed.
Traditional Royal Scottish Country Dancing Society (R S C D S, Scottish dance key authority) publications used the terms Progressions for those Figures which interchange the Places of two adjacent Couples in a Longwise set and Formations for those which do not. Nowadays, the RSCDS has chosen to use Formations to cover both but Figures is shorter and more widely used.

Complex Figures lists those dancing movements which are either combinations of, or derivative forms of those on the Figures pages. They are in no way logically different, but it can be helpful to a learner Scottish country dancer to know that mastering these is of secondary priority, because they occur much less frequently. Note however that, because they occur in many traditional Scottish dances and so appear in most class or ball programmes, Crown triangles, Double triangles and Hello-goodbye setting are included in the basic Figures section rather than here, even though they are quite complex.

Timing covers the number of bars allocated to each Figure, the Phrasing of Figures to suit the distance to be traversed and Covering. Accuracy in these, once learned makes an ordinary Scottish dancing experience into a delight.

Diagrams, Instructions And Support Pages

The subsequent links on the navigation bar are not Scottish Dance Instruction (Link To Wikipedia SCD Page) terms as such, and so do not appear in the Comprehensive DICTIONARY Of Dance Terms.

Diagrams links to a list, in numerical order, of the 100+ diagrams used in this website. Each individual Diagram is shown in full size and has an extended navigation bar with links forward and backward within the list. Links are also provided here to the Diagram showing the conventions applicable to this type of diagram, if appropriate. A further link, Explanation of this diagram, leads to the page on which this Diagram appears in context. Hovering over this link shows the name of that page.

Dance Instructions - Dance Cribs links to a list, in alphabetical order, of those Scottish dances for which Scottish Country Dance instruction (cribs) are supplied. Dancing instructions are either from Charles Upton's S C D Minicrib or from our own Maxicrib or both. Wherever a Scottish Country Dance is referenced from a page in this site, a live link leads directly to the Scottish Country Dance instruction page.
The Dance Instructions - Dance Crib pages also contain dance notes, background dance information and Scottish Dance YouTube Videos

Site map, Resources, Contact and Translate this Scottish country dancing site into your language have their conventional significance.