Scottish Country Dance of the Day

It's a designated day for celebrating the humble Guinea Pig!

One thing you can usually count on from an authentic, strict Scottish Country Dance teacher is... not a great deal of praise. And quite rightly so—there's always a better covering step, a straighter line, or a better pas de basque waiting to be discovered.

Guinea pigs, on the other hand, are immune to critiques and are usually praised and rewarded for simply looking cute! Today is a day devoted to one of the most cute, gentle rodents who ever deserved a Scottish Dance in their honour!

Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) first arrived in Europe aboard ships returning from their native South America, where they quickly became much-loved household pets and interestingly, included in many serious historical paintings by Dutch Masters, particularly in the 17th and 18th century as exotic additions in allegorical or religious scenes, or as more central subjects of still lifes with flowers, chickens, birds, and fruit and vegetables! Skeptical? See the comments for one of this editor's other niche pages!

Around the world they've acquired some wonderfully curious names: the German Meerschweinchen ("little sea pig"), the French Cochon d'Inde ("pig of India"), and the Japanese morumutto ("little marmot"). Whatever the language, they're famous for their cheerful personalities and remarkable vocabulary of whistles, chirps, purrs, rumbles, and, of course, the unmistakable wheek, wheek! that instantly summons humans carrying vegetables.

The inspiration for this 40 bar reel for 3 couples in a 4 couple herd were this editor's own guinea pigs, a delightfullyl inventive dance devised by fellow dancer, Jamie Tanner. The choreography even includes the guinea pig's trademark expression of joy: the sudden mid-air leap known as "popcorning", cleverly translated into pas de basques danced in inverted double triangles! Although popcorning is mostly achieved by younger guinea pigs, while more mature pigs prefer a dignified leap, every now and then, dancers can channel their inner youth and pas de basque away!

If you're wondering how to say "guinea pig" in Scottish Gaelic, it's "gearra-mhuc", literally meaning "short pig." Whatever you call them, they're experts at reminding us that sometimes the best reward after dancing isn't perfect footwork—it's a well-earned snack. For any envious hamsters, rats, and gerbils, you'll have to find a willing devisor for a dance of your own! Wheek! Wheek! 🕺 💃 🐹 🐹 🐹 🥕