Queen of Scots Dance Academy

Highland Dances

	Flora McDonald's Fancy This is danced in honor of Flora MacDonald, who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to the Isle of Skye. In 1746, this intrepid young Scotswoman helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to France after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden. Flora then came to the American Colonies where she raised a family in North Carolina. She backed the Tories during the American Revolution and ended up back in Scotland. She died penniless in the Hebrides. The dance has only six steps and is the oldest of the National dances.
	Scottish Lilt The Lilt exemplifies National dances, as it is very graceful and heavily influenced by ballet. It is an unusual dance because it has only six beats per measure rather than the standard eight. In competition, this dance is usually done with either four steps, and is rarely danced by the most advanced dancers. The Scottish Lilt has several recognized steps that can be used in competition and exhibition.
	Sailor's Hornpipe The Sailor's Hornpipe is a caricature dance developed from the traditional English version. It has become more popular in Scotland then in England and is regularly featured in Highland Games. The movements in this dance portray actions used in the daily routines of a sailor's life, such as pulling ropes, climbing the rigging and looking out to sea.
	Irish Jig The Scottish version of the Irish Jig is another caricature dance depicting an Irish washerwoman. One version of the story is that she is angry at her husband for staying out to late and drinking too much. The other blames her anger on having to work too hard for too little pay. In the male version, he is angry at his wife and wears a paddy hat and carries a shillelagh.
	Others There are other National dances which include the "Earl of Errol," "Blue Bonnets," "Village Maid," "Hielan' Laddie," and "Wilt thou go to the Barracks, Johnny?". They reflect the difficulty of trying to elucidate the history of the dances. Many of the National Dances, for example, "Blue Bonnets" and "Hielan Laddie" were actually devised in the late 19th century by Ewan MacLachlan, who studied ballet in France. Some of them are quite balletic in nature but do retain their Scottish flavor. Also offered to Premier level dancers is the choreography competition. Dancers select their own music and costume, and create dance steps with a Scottish flavor. These all can vary from balletic to quick paced foot work or even with a jazz flair. Choreography can be done in solos, duets or groups. Shown here is our group choreography from our performance in Walt Disney World in 2008.