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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 Flying Dutchman, Albert Pinkham Ryder, 1887
Jun 10
Tales of the Sea Day
The Flying Dutchman
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me.
Sails of silk and ropes of sandal,
Such as gleam in ancient lore;
And the singing of the sailors,
And the answer from the shore!"
~ The Secret of the Sea, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
Ahoy there, dancers! Sea shanties and hornpipes may come to mind, but this ghostly namesake dance is actually a strathspey. This 32 bar strathspey for 3 couples in a 4 couple set, devised by Livia Kohn, begins with a tourbillon-inspired variation called the "Turbolink" before carrying dancers through a series of elegant swirls and turns. Unlike its legendary maritime counterpart, however, this Flying Dutchman eventually comes safely to rest after a smooth voyage of 32 bars.
The legend of the Flying Dutchman has haunted sailors for centuries. According to folklore, the phantom vessel is doomed to sail the world's oceans forever, never able to make port and forever searching for a way home. Sightings of the ghost ship were often regarded as an omen of misfortune, with witnesses reporting a spectral vessel glowing eerily on the horizon before vanishing into mist and sea spray.
One possible explanation for such sightings is the mysterious weather phenomenon known as a Fata Morgana. Named for Morgan le Fay, the enchantress of Arthurian legend, these remarkable mirages have been recorded since ancient times. They create distorted and rapidly shifting images that can make distant ships, coastlines, or islands appear stretched, stacked, floating, or transformed into fantastic castles and towers in the sky. The phenomenon was especially noted in the Strait of Messina, where observers once believed they were seeing fairy palaces conjured by magic to lure sailors to their doom.
Fortunately for Scottish country dancers, this Flying Dutchman is far less troublesome than its legendary namesake. "Fair winds and following strathspeys dancers!" 🕺 💃 💙 🤍 💚 💙 🌊 🌊 🌊 🚢 🚢 🚢 ⚓ 👻
The Flying Dutchman
According to the tale, this ghost ship, with its spectral crew, is doomed to sail the seas for eternity, never able to make port. Sightings of the phantom vessel, often reported shrouded in an eerie, glowing mist, are said to foretell disaster or imminent doom. The legend's origins can be traced back to the 17th century, with various accounts attributing the ship's fate to a cursed captain who, in his hubris, defied a violent storm by swearing to sail around the Cape of Good Hope even if it took him until Judgment Day. As such, The Flying Dutchman has captured the imaginations of sailors and storytellers alike, becoming a potent symbol of eternal struggle and the consequences of defying the natural order.
Sightings of The Flying Dutchman have been reported for centuries, often by sailors who claim to have seen the ghostly ship appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye, usually under stormy conditions. One of the most famous accounts comes from Prince George of Wales, the future King George V, who, while serving in the Royal Navy in 1881, reported seeing the eerie vessel off the coast of Australia. The ship, described as glowing with an unearthly light, vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. These sightings have fueled speculation about the real origins of the legend. Some historians suggest that the tale might have begun as a sailor's superstition, rooted in the treacherous waters and unpredictable weather around the Cape of Good Hope. Others believe it could be based on real-life accounts of ships that disappeared in storms, only to be spotted later, derelict and abandoned. The phenomenon of "ghost ships" could also be attributed to optical illusions like Fata Morgana, a type of mirage that can make distant objects appear closer and distorted, adding a supernatural element to the maritime lore.
For more mysterious ghost ships of legend and lore, click the painting below of The Flying Dutchman, by Howard Pyle.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
