WELCOME TO AN ENTERTAINMENT SITE FOR SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCERS!
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!
Jul 7
Firefly Day
The Lightnin' Bug
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,
And here on earth come emulating flies,
That though they never equal stars in size,
(And they were never really stars at heart)
Achieve at times a very star-like start.
Only, of course, they can't sustain the part."
~ Fireflies in the Garden, Robert Frost (1928)
Flash! Flash! If you've ever imagined a Scottish country dance illuminated by hundreds of tiny lanterns, The Lightnin' Bug brings that delightful image to life. This lively 32-bar jig for three couples, devised by Tim Wilson, was written for fellow teacher and dancer Paula Jacobson, whose infectious enthusiasm has a wonderful way of lighting up every room she enters! And the dance itself, with reels and meanwhiles emulates the random flitter-flutter of lightning bugs on a warm summer evening!
Fireflies—or "lightning bugs," as they are affectionately known in many parts of North America—aren't flies at all, but beetles. They produce their fascinating flashes through a cold chemical reaction called bioluminescence, using light to communicate, attract mates, and identify one another. In some species, even the larvae and eggs emit their own magical glow.
Each species has its own distinctive flashing pattern, but only two places in the world are famous for spectacular displays of synchronous fireflies, where thousands flash together in perfect harmony: parts of Southeast Asia and the forests of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Most fireflies glow in shades of yellow, green, or reddish light, but for just two to four weeks each year, the elusive Blue Ghost fireflies appear around Asheville, North Carolina. Their ethereal glow is actually greenish, but our dark-adapted eyes perceive it as blue, making these remarkable insects seem almost eerily magical!
Whether you're watching a meadow twinkle on a warm summer evening or dancing The Lightnin' Bug, it's a lovely reminder that sometimes the brightest lights—and the happiest memories—come in the smallest of packages. If there are no lightning bugs nearby, why not bring a mini flashlight or touch, dim the lights, see if you add some flashes to the dance! 🕺 💃 💙 💚 💙 🐞 🐞 🐞 🔦 🔦 🔦 ⚡ ⚡ ⚡
The Lightnin' Bug
Fireflies are a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera with over 2,000 described species. They use a chemical process to produce bioluminescence during twilight to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", witn no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies!
In many species of fireflies, both male and female fireflies have the ability to fly, but in some species, the females are flightless.
Fireflies' light is produced when oxygen is mixed with a pigment called luciferin, an enzyme called luciferase, and a chemical that provides cells with energy called adenosine triphosphate. The final part of the formula is uric acid crystals, which are located in the cells that make the light and shine the light away from the firefly's body.
Males focus on finding a mate and vary the the brightness of their glow and their flashing patterns. Typically, the females sit immobile, and only flash back when they see a male with a particularly impressive display.
Each species has its own flash patterns. Some flash only once. Some emit “flash trains” of up to nine carefully timed pulses. Others fly in specific aerial patterns, briefly dipping before sharply ascending and forming a “J” of light. A few even shake their abdomens from side to side and appear to be twinkling.
Alas, for the most part, fireflies don't live west of the Rocky Mountains in the US.
For more about World Firefly Day, click the blue ghosts in the long exposure photo!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
