National Dances
The Scottish Lilt is one of the first National dances that Highland dancers learn. It is performed in the standard Nationals outfit, an Aboyne or Airsaid dress for females, and a kilt or trews for males. It is an unusual dance because it has only six beats per measure rather than the standard eight. The song most often used for the lilt is "The Battle of the Somme." The Lilt exemplifies National dances as it is very graceful and heavily influenced by ballet.
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. Variations on these steps can be seen between BATD trained dancers and SDTA dancers.
Another of the "pretty" Nationals, Flora MacDonald's Fancy is named for Scottish heroine Flora MacDonald. In 1746, this intrepid young Scotswoman helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to France after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden. Such heroism won her the admiration of the Scottish people who honored her in this dance.
The dance has only six steps. In competition, pre-Premier dancers usually do four steps, while the Premiers must do all six.
The Sailor's Hornpipe is an energetic dance that acts out [and sometimes parodies] the actions of British sailors such as hauling ropes, climbing ropes and standing lookout. It is one of only two National dances that has its own costume rather than the standard Highland or National outfits. In this case, the dancer wears a British sailor suit and hat.
This dance is rarely performed among the lower grade dancers in competition, but is quite common among the more experienced and elite dancers. It is usually performed in competition with six steps, although there are over 15 sanctioned steps to choose from. The last step is always a long series of high cuts and leaps which is amazing to watch, but often a real killer to perform well!
The [Highland] Irish Jig is another energetic dance featuring lots of fist shaking and skirt flouncing among female competitors. It is a parody of Irish dancing and the infamous Irish temper. The story of the dance is as follows: Females dancing the Jig are acting out an angry fit of an Irishwoman who's husband has not made it home from the pub until all hours. Males dancing the Jig act out the happy-go-lucky Irishman facing his wife's tirade. It is the other National dance that has its own costume rather than the standard Highland or National outfits. In this case, the female dancer wears a red, green and white dress with an apron. The male dancer wears a red, green and tan suit with hat and shilleleigh. Both male and female dancers wear a specific type of shoe with a jingle heel and a harder sole than ghillies. The jig is the only Highland or National dance that is performed in competition in shoes other than the traditional ghillie.
Like the Hornpipe, this dance is rarely performed among the lower grade dancers in competition, but is quite common among the more experienced and elite dancers. It is usually performed in competition with six steps, although there are many sanctioned steps to choose from, including a three or four "finishing steps" that must be performed last. The dance can be listed by games organizers as a 6 step Jig [any 6 steps with any number of finishing steps], a 5+1 Jig [any 5 regular steps but only one finishing step] or a 4+2 Jig [any 4 regular steps but only and exactly two finishing steps].
