The Schottische

This is a circle dance that was introduced to Scotland from the continent. Firstly the common schottische (which means “Scottish Dance” and is based on the the German Polka) was introduced around 1849 and it was initially not very popular. But when the Highland Schottische was introduced (a combination of the common schottische and the old reel) it had immediate success and has been popular as a ceilidh dance ever since.

More information on the dances and examples of tunes to illustrate them can be found in “Traditional Scottish Fiddling” by Christine Martin and in the “Ceilidh Collection for Fiddlers” series of four books.