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!
Built in Port Glasgow, in 1874, the Dunedin in 1876, wearing the colours of Shaw, Savill & Albion Line of London (retained in 1882) -Painting by Frederick Tudgay (1841–1921)
Sep 23
World Maritime Days
The New Rigged Ship
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
⚓ “All hands on deck—and steady as she goes!” ⚓
Ahoy, landlubbers and salty sea dogs alike! If you're eager to celebrate World Maritime Day in suitably nautical style, start with some sailor stripes, find your sea dancing legs, and launch into this rousing seafaring dance!
World Maritime Day, generally observed during the last week of September, recognizes the maritime world and the importance of shipping, seafarers, ports, and the many people who keep goods and people moving across the world's oceans.
And what better way to mark the occasion than with this 48 bar jig devised by an unknown sailor for 3 couples! The circles and mirror eels provide plenty of nautical-looking movement—just be sure to keep those sea legs firmly underneath you! For a variation with four couples active rather than three, try the humorously titled “The New Rigged Hip.” 🤪
Dance teachers may also wish to keep a few seaworthy commands at the ready: “All hands on deck!” when nobody is where they should be; “Look lively!” when the set is falling behind; “Steady as she goes!” when things are miraculously going well; “Hard a-port!” or “Hard a-starboard!” when someone is confidently heading the wrong way; and “Belay that!” when all hope of navigation has been lost. If everyone actually finishes in the right place: “Shipshape and Bristol fashion!” 🕺 💃 💙 🤍 💙 🚢 ⚓ 😄
The New Rigged Ship
World Maritime Day recognizes the importance of sea travel and transport. A nation's shipping fleet (merchant navy, merchant marine, merchant fleet) consists of the ships operated by civilian crews to transport passengers or cargo from one place to another. For parts known and unknown, sailors have explored our oceans and seas from the beginning.
Stone tools discovered on the island of Crete have discovered stone tools indicating ocean exploration capabilities of early humans dating to at least 130,000 years ago.
Ocean exploration itself coincided with the developments in shipbuilding, diving, navigation, depth, measurement, exploration, and cartography and was undertaken by the Greeks, Egyptians, the Polynesians, the Phoenicians, and others. The sextant was one of the navigation tools invented in the 18th century by British mathematical instrument makers that permitted mariners to find their position much better than ever before. The sextant became the most essential instrument for celestial navigation.
See below for a video of the dance performed by the
Chiswick Scottish Country Dance Club, 2013.
And for more about the sextant and other tools used for historical navigation, click the Scottish Ship flying the Scottish Red Ensign flag, unknown artist, 1650-1674.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
