New Dancers
If you are new to dancing and want to learn more about the steps and how to dance, here are some resources for you.
Here is a video to give you an introduction to the community of Scottish Country Dancing
– Steps and Holds –
Skip change
Skip change is a step used in reels and jigs to travel in the dance.
pas de basque
In reels and jigs, this step is often used for setting and/or sometimes for travelling short distances.
promenade hold
A promenade hold is similar to an allemande hold, and are sometimes used together in a dance.
slip step
Slip step is used in reels and jigs to travel sideways.
Allemande hold
The allemande hold is used most commonly for dancing an allemande in dances.
others
The RSCDS website is a great place to visit to get instructions on these steps and holds.
Formations
Most Scottish country dances are mostly made up of different formations, which have special terminology so that dancers can understand the dance easier and faster without lots of explanation. You don’t need to have them all memorized, but it would be helpful to look through them to understand more.
Scottish Country Dance Database
The SCDDB is a website that has all the dances of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. This website contains the music, instructions, and music of all the dances we perform. Our group utilizes this website to share the dance programs for our parties and social dances. You’ll notice the link to this in our event listings as well as a 5-digit code you can use to find these dances in the mobile app.