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Enjoy this curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
The Kiss by Roy Lichtenstein, 1990
Jul 6
Kissing Day
Ae Fond Kiss
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, and then forever! "
~ Ae Fond Kiss, Robert Burns (1759-1796)
This busy 48 bar reel for 6 couples leaves little enough time for a kiss but does require some concentration!
This dance, devised by Ralph Stoddard, takes its name from one of Robert Burns's most poignant and enduring songs.
Burns enclosed the song in the final letter he wrote to Agnes "Nancy" McLehose in 1797, as she prepared to sail for Jamaica in hopes of reconciling with her estranged husband, James McLehose. Written in Dumfries and now preserved in the National Library of Scotland, the letter tells Nancy that he is sending her several newly composed songs, among them the deeply moving Ae Fond Kiss.
Burns and Nancy had first met in Edinburgh four years earlier, when Burns was still unmarried. Although their relationship remained largely one of letters rather than physical meetings, their correspondence became one of the great romantic exchanges of Scottish literature. Writing under the affectionate pseudonyms Sylvander and Clarinda, they shared passionate, witty, and deeply personal letters that revealed both their affection and the impossibility of a future together.
Ae Fond Kiss expresses Burns's profound sorrow at their parting. With its unforgettable opening, "Ae fond kiss, and then we sever," the song captures the bittersweet pain of saying farewell to a cherished love.
Fortunately, while Burns's words may tug at the heartstrings, this spirited reel is sure to lift the spirits and set feet flying! 🕺 💃 💙 🤍 💙 ✍️ 💋 💌 💌 💌
Ae Fond Kiss
July 6 is International Kissing Day!
One of the many dances inspired by Robert Burns' poetry, this particular poem is three stanzas originally written in 1791 as a letter. The title itself suggests a love poem, and the dance takes its cue from this happy thought. But the poem itself speaks to the theme of the passion and hopelessness of love.
After the publication of his collected poems, the Kilmarnock volume, Burns regularly travelled and stayed at Edinburgh. While there he established a platonic relationship with Mrs. Agnes Maclehose and they began a regular correspondence using the pseudonyms 'Clarinda' and 'Sylvander'.
Burns wrote 'Ae fond kiss' after their final meeting and sent it to her on 27 December 1791 before she departed Edinburgh for Jamaica to be with her estranged husband.
The Scots song "Ae fond kiss and then we sever" is Burns' most recorded love song. For a heart-rending version of the song by Karen Matheson with Paul Brady, click The Betrothal of Robert Burns and Highland Mary, by James Archer, R.S.A. (1823-1904).
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
