Travelling Steps
While Setting steps are used occasionally in Scottish Country Dancing for very limited movement around The set, Travelling steps are always specified whenever a substantial distance has to be covered as, for example, in Reels of three or more, Chains, Chasing, Figures of 8, Allemande, Promenade round and so on.For the Quick tempo dances (Reels, Jigs and Hornpipes), the main Travelling Step is Skip change; for a few Figures such as Hands round and Slip down or up which require a sideways movement, Slip step is used. In Strathspeys, all substantial Travelling requires the Strathspey travelling step; there is no equivalent to Slip step and so Hands round is performed with the Dancers Facing around the periphery of the circular Formation rather than Across it.
Skip change (for the Quick tempo dances) and the Strathspey travelling step both have two forward steps per bar and so are readily variable in speed and direction to suit the diverse Travelling Figures for which they are prescribed.