Scottish Country Dance of the Day

Oh the comedy! Oh, the tragedy! Are you an opera fan? Have you been entertained with an operatic selection by a talented fellow dancer?

Opera Day is tied to the birthday of composer George Frederic Handel (1685–1759) who wrote over 40 Italian operas, and helped establish Italian opera in London!

Celebrate in dramatic fashion with this easy to learn reel for 6 couples which could be danced or sung to "any good aria". 🤪

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Scotland has long held a powerful place in the operatic imagination. In the 19th century especially, composers across Europe were captivated by the Highlands, clan rivalries, mist-covered lochs, and the romantic fiction of Sir Walter Scott. As a result, Scotland appears not just as a backdrop, but as a dramatic landscape — a place of honor, betrayal, passion, and of course, tragedy.

One of the most famous examples is Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti (1835). Set in the Lowlands and based on Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor, the opera unfolds amid feuding families and a doomed wedding. The Act II wedding scene portrays a full Scottish household celebration, and while Donizetti did not write a specific country dance into the score, productions frequently stage the chorus with festive, reel-like movement to evoke a Highland gathering before the tragedy unfolds.

Rossini’s La donna del lago by Gioachino Rossini (1819) transports audiences to the Highland clans around Loch Katrine. Inspired by The Lady of the Lake, it features martial choruses and rhythms that mimic Scottish musical gestures, including the distinctive “Scotch snap.” Though not choreographed as a formal Scottish country dance, clan celebrations in this opera are often staged with folk-inspired movement to enhance the setting.

French composer Georges Bizet turned to Scotland in La jolie fille de Perth (1867), set in medieval Perth. The opera includes festive public scenes and choral gatherings that lend themselves to staged social dance. As in other Scottish-set operas, the dance is not prescribed in detail, but directors sometimes incorporate stylized folk choreography to reinforce the national character.

Even Shakespeare’s Scotland appears in opera through Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth (1847). While this work focuses more on psychological drama than celebration, court scenes and banquets provide opportunities for ceremonial movement. Any Scottish dance elements are typically interpretive choices rather than musical requirements, yet the setting remains unmistakably Highland in atmosphere. 💙 ❤️ 💛 🎭 🎶 🏴