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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!
John Drewry at the Royal Tyrrell Museum with "friend"
Aug 2
Dinosaur Day
Drumhelier
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
🦖 Happy Dinosaur Day! 🦕
There aren't too many Scottish country dances devoted to dinosaurs, but John Drewry gave these prehistoric giants their own place on the dance floor with Drumhellier (A Tit-Bit for Dinosaurs), a four-couple strathspey inspired by a visit to the famous Dinosaur Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada.
Rather than being inspired by paleontology itself, the dance grew out of a humorous photograph of John with one of the museum's dinosaurs. The picture became the subject of a worldwide caption competition in The Reel magazine, with the winning entry proclaiming, "John having teething troubles devising a new dance." Another caption specially commended by John was, "John Drewry and Friend share a tender moment." 🤪
Dinosaurs first appeared about 245 million years ago and ruled the Earth for around 180 million years before most disappeared 66 million years ago. They ranged from tiny feathered animals to enormous armored giants, with more than 700 species identified so far!
While not as famous as Alberta's badlands, Scotland has yielded internationally important fossils, including dinosaur footprints on the Isle of Skye dating back about 170 million years to the Middle Jurassic. Combined with ancient reptiles, fish, and some of Europe's oldest fossil-bearing rocks, Scotland has become one of the world's most exciting places for paleontologists.
It seems only fitting that a Scottish country dance should celebrate these ancient giants. After all, dinosaurs may have vanished millions of years ago, but they can still leave their footprints on the Scottish country dance floor! 🕺 💃 💚 💚 💚 🦕 🦕 🦕 🦖 🦖 🦖
Drumhelier
Some parts of the world are especially rich in dinosaur fossils because ancient rivers and floodplains quickly buried dead animals, preserving their bones for millions of years. Today, erosion has exposed these remarkable prehistoric treasures.Drumheller, Alberta, Canada is one of the world's greatest dinosaur fossil regions. The Canadian Badlands have produced hundreds of skeletons and dozens of species, including Albertosaurus, Centrosaurus, Corythosaurus, Lambeosaurus, and Edmontosaurus. The area is also home to the world-renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Scotland's Isle of Skye may not have as many fossils as Alberta, but it is one of the world's most scientifically important dinosaur sites. Rocks dating to the Middle Jurassic (about 165–170 million years ago) are rare worldwide, and Skye contains over 15% of all known Middle Jurassic dinosaur sites. Fossils and footprints from sauropods, theropods, stegosaurs, and other dinosaurs have been discovered along its rugged coastline, including the most complete dinosaur skeleton ever found in Scotland.
The Morrison Formation of the western United States is famous for its Jurassic giants, including Diplodocus, Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Allosaurus. Many of the classic dinosaurs found in museums around the world were first unearthed here.The Hell Creek Formation in Montana and neighboring states preserves the last dinosaurs to roam the Earth before the asteroid impact 66 million years ago. It is especially famous for fossils of Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, and Ankylosaurus.
Other world-famous fossil regions include Patagonia, Argentina, home to enormous dinosaurs such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan; Liaoning Province, China, where beautifully preserved feathered dinosaurs revealed the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds; and the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, where spectacular fossils like the famous "Fighting Dinosaurs" were discovered.
Together, these remarkable sites continue to reshape our understanding of the age of dinosaurs and the incredible diversity of life that once inhabited our planet.
For more on the Royal Tyrrell Museum, click the dinosaur!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
