Quote Originally Posted by Pleater View Post
We used to do Scottish dances at school - the teacher was always telling us off for grinning, laughing and generally having fun.

Weell excuuuuse meee - I thought that was the whole idea of social dancing, not to prance about in deadly solemnity.

We only got to do the reels and other multiple dances though - for some reason she thought jigs were not what polite people did. Raising arms when setting was not allowed either.

Whooping or other sounds of exhilaration were naturally an anathema.

Some folks just do not know how to have fun.

No disrespect but I think the style of dancing you describe here, Pleater, is more commonly known as 'reeling' - a fairly uncontrolled form of Scottish Country Dancing more suited to wild parties! I have been a SC dancer for over 57 years (although I am no longer able to partake) and, whilst the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society can be a little po-faced at times, the style of dancing it advocates does suit very many people the world over. Having fun does not necessarily mean exhuberant yelling, whooping, spinning and throwing your partner across the hall - which I have witnessed more than once. There is a great deal of fun, satisfaction and enjoyment to be had from performing a dance elegantly, courteously and with decorum. Reels, jigs, strathspeys, schottisches - they are all fine and perfectly acceptable nowadays in polite society!!

The raising of arms belongs in the world of Highland Dancing rather than Scottish Country. The Foursome Reel and Reel of Tulloch are probably the only dances I remember performing at Scottish Country Dance events where arms were raised.