The Sword dance is one of the best known of all Highland dances, an ancient dance of war. Performance of sword dances in the folklore of Scotland is recorded from as early as the 15th century.[1][2][3]
Related customs are found in the Welsh and English Morris dance, in Austria, Germany, Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Romania.
- In Ghillie Callum or "Scottish sword dance" the dancer crosses two swords on the ground in an "X" or a "+" shape, and dances around and within the 4 quarters of it.
- The dirk dance involves either one or two dancers, each holding a single dirk.[4][5]
- ^ Donald Campbell (Lieutenant.) (1862). A treatise on the language, poetry, and music of the Highland clans: with illustrative traditions and anecdotes and numerous ancient Highland airs. D. R. Collie. p. 233. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- ^ Nahumck, Nadia Chilkovsky (1970). A Comprehensive Curriculum in Dance for Secondary Schools. US Office of Education, Bureau of Research. p. 93.
- ^ Manson, William Laird (1901). The Highland Bagpipe: Its History, Literature, and Music, with Some Account of the Traditions, Superstitions, and Anecdotes Relating to the Instrument and Its Tunes. Alexander Gardner. pp. 30–31.
- ^ "Scottish Sword Masters".
- ^ Traditional Step-Dancing in Scotland, by J. F. & T. M. Flett