Tartantown Blog

Highland dance has a rich history that has been spread across the world as Scottish people immigrated around the globe. There is nothing that better captures the essence of Scottish culture than the performance of Highland dancing during a celebration.

The first-ever recorded instance of Highland dancing, a type of war dancing in its infancy, was in 1285 during the second marriage of Alexander III to Yolande de Dreux. The dances recorded were intricate and choreographed, which indicates that they existed much earlier than their first recorded date. Another instance of Highland dancing in history is the record from 1573, at Stockholm Castle in Sweden, where Scottish mercenaries performed a sword dance for the King of Sweden, John III.

While most Highland dancers nowadays are women and girls, Highland dance traditionally was used as a way for kings and clan chiefs to choose their men at arms. Due to the strength and stamina required to perform Highland dancing, and the discipline needed in learning it, it was considered a good judge of a dancer's abilities.

The majesty of Highland dance was almost lost at one point in time. In 1746, after the Battle of Culloden, the government in London set out to purge the Highlands of the clan system as it was considered rebellious. The mere act of wearing a kilt or carrying a weapon was deemed a penal offence, and the law was diligently enforced. Once the act was repealed in 1785, there was a lost enthusiasm for the garb and props that had been made illegal and were needed to perform a Highland dance. It was not until the Victorian era in the 1800s that Highland culture was revived, due in part to Queen Victoria's love for Scotland and Scottish culture and heritage.

During the Victorian era the modern Highland games, along with modern Highland dancing, formed. To make judging the skills of Highland dancers easier, the set amount of dances that could be performed for judgment were shrunk until only four remained until 1986. These dances included The Seann Triubhas, The Highland Fling, The Sword Dance, and The Reel of Tulloch. That does not mean there are not many other Highland dance routines and after 1986 many dances were added back into the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing.

When performing Highland dancing, there is a specific attire worn. Men will wear a Balmoral, a traditional Scottish hat, as well as a doublet. Men also do wear kilts with matching tartan hose, though they can wear tartan trews (pants) when performing The Seann Truibhas, which is a dance created when kilts had been banned in Scotland and the dance is about how much Scottish men hated having their kilts taken away. Women Highland dancers wear tartan kilts, tartan hose, velvet jackets, and a white blouse underneath. Both genders wear highland dance shoes to perform the dances.

At Tartantown we have all of the clothes and accessories that you need for Highland dancing. Our kilts, kilties, jackets, vests, shoes, and more (even swords) will serve you well at any Highland dance competition. Browse our online store today.

Since the beginning of 2017, there has been concern over the restrictions placed on Melanoxylon Dalbergia (African ). Blackwood has been added to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The goal is to control/monitor the sale and use of the wood and bagpipe sales represent a very small percentage of the overall market. One can say it is a good thing that the wood is being monitored for protecting future pipers!

To explain, bagpipe makers are now required to apply for a permit for exportation and we (as a Canadian vendor) must apply for a permit if to the USA, for example. US customers will hear directly from Environment Canada once their permit is processed. Initially, there was some confusion over how all this work and the time/costs involved. Mainly there was bureaucratic uncertainty with the process and many concerns have now been eliminated or reduced greatly! The timeframe now seems very reasonable.

We at Tartantown have now received from all the top makers and shipments have come through nicely. See picture above of our very recent McCallum/Duncan MacRae shipment. Flowing well!

One of the biggest decisions a dancer has to make, after choosing a good teacher, is how to select a full competitive outfit. Every teacher has a different opinion on when his or her student is ready to dance in a competition, but when they do, your choices are endless.

Many years ago most dancers chose their family clan tartan so the choice was easy. However, in the late fifties, dancers started appearing in Dress Tartans with white backgrounds. These tartans were very limited – the Dress Stewart, Dress Macpherson, Napier, Dress MacRae, and a few others. I remember being delighted to obtain the Dress MacRae of Conchra with a basic light blue check with white, enabling me to make a fashion statement with my blue jacket amongst my fellow competitors! Gradually dancers started to change their outfits and we saw many more dancers in Dress Tartans with colored vests and jackets.

In the early ’70s, having expanded my business into all things related to Highland dancing (I had previously offered only Highland dancing shoes) I recognized a real trend towards the “white” Dress Tartans for dancers and started to research alternatives to the traditional Dress clan tartans. On a trip to D.C. Dalgliesh’s woolen mill in Selkirk, Scotland I suggested to Mr. Dalgliesh that he weave the Royal Blue Cunningham. From that point on Dress Tartans of various kinds became the norm.

Today, we have literally hundreds of these Dress Tartans being woven from various mills in Scotland and elsewhere. Picking a tartan relative to your particular clan is actually a thing of the past. Many dancers no longer have a family or clan tartan so they pick what they like. In my opinion, your first consideration is what vest/jacket color would flatter your dancer the most. The actual tartan may be somewhat secondary. Once you have picked the color you are interested in, peruse the many “tartans” that are available. I say “tartans” as many colors available today are not actually based on any tartan but are just attractive color combinations with no relation to an actual clan.

Another major consideration is the coloring that will appear in the hose/socks you will have made to match the tartan. Be very careful with this as one of the main reasons for choosing a Dress tartan is so that white diamonds will appear in the socks. This makes the dancer's foot and leg much brighter and, therefore, easier to see from a judge’s perspective. You will have a choice here too, whole diamonds vs. split diamonds, seamless vs. full-fashioned and the marled color, your teacher will be able to advise you with this but be sure to pick the one that will enhance your footwork.

Based on over 50 years of experience in dancing and adjudicating, we at Tartantown, are able to offer you expert advice and help with any of the above choices.

There are a good number of reasons to rent a kilt.  Some people feel they are not entitled to wear a kilt or would not look good in a kilt.  Nothing could be further from the truth!

Affiliation to a clan (while interesting) is not essential. There has never been more choice than there is now – both with clan tartans and also contemporary “fashion” tartans.  There are hundreds of great choices! Some examples of universal or district tartans that anyone can wear include Isle of Skye, Scotland Forever, Scottish National, and Black Watch.

There are endless choices for kilt accessories - it is not just all about the kilt. Your accessories can put together a very attractive ensemble and all comes together very well. A Prince Charlie jacket is perfect for any formal event or choose an argyl jacket for something a little more casual.

Here is our short list as to why you should take the plunge:

• Kilts are extremely comfortable to wear!
• Kilts are cool!
• Everyone looks good in a kilt!
• Knees are under-rated!
• The photos are great!

Contact us at Tartantown to see how we can help make your occasion unforgettable or visit our rental page for more information.