Origin of Scottish Country Dancing

A Scottish country dance is a form of social dance involving groups of couple dancers. Even though Country dancing is often considered a type of folk dancing, its original dancers were from the more educated and wealthy classes of the Renaissance.

 It was actually the ballroom dancing of Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries. Scottish Country Dancing originated in the traditional dances of Great Britain which were not recorded in written form until John Playford published "The English Dancing Master" in 1651. When it became popular in the 18th century, it became a shorter, quicker form of dance as compared to the more courtly dances normally danced.

 Scottish country dancing is related to English country dancing, contra dancing, cèilidh dancing, and Irish set dancing due to the combination of some of these dance forms in early country dance forms. Later on, a lot of variations were introduced due to the influences of dancers and dance masters.

 Scottish country dancing should not be confused with Scottish highland dance which is a solo form of dance.

 In the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, as the Waltz and other Ballroom and Sequence Dancing became popular, Scottish Country Dancing fell from favour; it was rescued by Dr Jean Milligan and Mrs Ysobel Stewart, the joint founder members in 1923 of what is known as the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.