History

of Scottish Country Dancing

Scottish Country Dancing is the social  form of Scottish dancing that has been danced in homes, barns and halls all over Scotland for hundreds of years.  When friends and family got together, and there was a fiddle – and there was always a fiddle! – the dancing would begin.  Dances were often created to commemorate a royal personage, feats of valor, events, places, or a really tasty dessert. The story is told through the dance formations and steps, and the music.

With the popularity of jazz and more modern music and dance forms favored after World War I, traditional country dances began to disappear.  In the early 1920’s two women from Glasgow, Scotland decided to form a group for the preservation of these lively and elegant traditional country dances and the Scottish Country Dance Society was born.   In 1952 Queen Elizabeth II granted royal patronage to the society giving it its present name of The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS).

There are branches and affiliates of the RSCDS all over the world.  That’s one of the exciting parts of SCD, being able to literally go anywhere in the world and find an SCD dance.  We speak the same language through the dance no matter the culture no matter our differences.

For a list of area RSCDS branches and affiliate clubs, and additional information about Scottish Dance and Culture, visit our Links page.