Highland Dancing
Highland dancers bring a true traditional feel to the ‘Nethy’ Games here in Nethy Bridge
Highland Dancing
Abernethy is nowadays considered to be a highlight in the calendar year for Highland dancers. A major factor in this success was the influence of the Hilda Watt School of Dancing, which ran a hugely influential festival of Highland dancing in the Community Centre in April each year throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Up to 200 dancers can compete at the Games and two separate dancing boards are necessary to accommodate a very ambitious programme.
Highland Dancing was once the domain of the male dancer, but over the last 40 years, this has changed to become an almost entirely female activity. Why this should have happened is something of a mystery. The dances themselves often evolved as the men’s celebration of their fighting abilities.
Most people are surprised to learn that it’s in the delicate steps of the dancers that some of the surest reminders of our gory past are retained. It must seem odd to some to think that, not so very long ago, the forests of Abernethy rang to the sound of groups of skilled warriors celebrating their tribal way of life by the re-enactment of bloody scenes in the form of dance. What you see today is a vestige of that wildness.
The Sword Dance is said to have originated in the steps cut by an early king, Malcolm Canmore, over the body of a vanquished enemy and is clearly intended as a victory celebration after battle.
The Seann Truibhas (Gaelic for ‘Old Trousers’) belongs to more recent history when the Kilt was outlawed as part of the punitive measures enforced by the British Army against the Highlanders after the 1745 Rebellion. This dance depicts the motion of ‘kicking off’ the trousers – at that time a very alien garment to the Highlanders
The Highland Fling is said to tell the story of a father and son walking in the hills during the rutting season. In the distance they could see a stag trying to attract the attention of a mate. The son started to mimic the stag by extending his arms to form the antlers and by leaping in the air. He was barefoot and threw his cap onto the rough ground to spare his feet. However picturesque this story might be, scholars reckon that the origins of the stag-like movements are rooted in a very ancient form of dance-song associated with hunting and displaying masculine prowess.
Part of the spirit of the dance is in putting on a show of being ‘well turned out’. Be sure to take the time to enjoy all of the dancing events: Highland Fling, Sword Dance, Seann Truibhas, Highland Laddie, Flora MacDonald’s Fancy, Scottish Lilt, Irish Jig, Sailor’s Hornpipe. We greatly appreciate the contribution made to the Abernethy Highland Games by the pipers who play for our Highland Dancers so devotedly each year.