Nowadays, Highland dancing, which can be
seen at nearly every modern day Highland games event, is a
highly competitive and technical dance form which requires
many hours of practice and training over a period of several
years to perfect. In terms of its technical requirements and
the training required for its performance, Highland dancing
has much in common with ballet. It takes a massive amount of
stamina and arm/leg strength, no matter how old the dancer
is.
In Highland dancing, in contrast to, say,
ballroom dancing, the dancers dance on the balls of the
feet. In many ways, Highland dancing evolved from solo step
dancing, but while some forms of step dancing are purely
percussive in nature, Highland dancing involves not only a
combination of steps but also some integral upper body, arm,
and hand movements. Even so, it is still considered a form
of step dancing in that the main element of Highland dancing
is concerned with footwork.
Highland dancing should not be confused
with Scottish country dancing which is both a social dance
(that is, a dance which is danced with a partner or
partners) like ballroom dancing, and a formation dance (that
is, a dance in which an important element is the pattern of
group movement about the dance floor) like square dance.
Some Highland dances do derive from
traditional social dances, however. An example is the
Highland Reel, also known as the Foursome Reel, in which
groups of four dancers alternate between solo steps facing
one another and a figure-of-eight style with intertwining
progressive movement. Even so, in competitions, the Highland
Reel dancers are judged individually. Most Highland Fling
dances are done solo.
