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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!
May 23
Turtle and Tortoise Day
The Turtle in the Marsh
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
“To a turtle, a pond is the universe.”
Remember the turtles and their drier cousins, the tortoises today!
When a small number of dancers are available, a 5 person dance is a fun way to make up the numbers and a good configuration for demonstrations as all dancers are viewable at once from all angles!
This 5-person, 40-bar jig by Sheila Gradon is listed as a dance for 5 ladies — or perhaps 5 energetic lady turtles! Inspired by the Aboriginal name “Cootamundra,” often interpreted as “The Turtle in the Marsh,” the dance has also picked up the local nickname “the frog in the bog.”
Set in a diamond-shaped formation, the dance includes optional Highland steps and gives each dancer a turn as the middle “turtle in the marsh.”
Cootamundra itself is a town in New South Wales, Australia, though the name is much older and comes from the language of the local Wiradjuri Aboriginal people. The most widely accepted explanation is that it derives from the word guudhamang (or related spellings), meaning “turtle,” often interpreted more fully as “place of many turtles” or “swamp with turtles.”
Historically, the region contained wetlands, creeks, billabongs, and slow-moving waterways where freshwater turtles were common, making the turtle association especially fitting. Over time, European settlers altered the spelling through forms such as “Cootamondra” and “Cootamundry” before the modern spelling “Cootamundra” officially came into use in 1952.
There are also a few alternate theories about the name. One suggestion connects it to “Coramandra,” an early pastoral property in the area, possibly linked to the ship Coromandel. Even so, the Wiradjuri turtle interpretation remains the explanation most commonly cited by historians and most likely, native turtles! 🕺 💃 💚 💚 💚 🐢 🐢 🐢 🐢 🐢
The Turtle in the Marsh
Australia is home to a remarkable variety of turtles, from tiny freshwater species hiding in muddy billabongs to enormous sea turtles that migrate thousands of miles along the coast. Unlike tortoises found in Africa, Asia, or the Americas, Australia has no true native land tortoises. Instead, its native shelled reptiles are freshwater and marine turtles, many of which are specially adapted to the continent’s harsh climate, seasonal droughts, and sprawling river systems.
Among the best known are the freshwater turtles of inland Australia, especially the Eastern Long-necked Turtle and the Murray River Turtle. The long-necked turtle is particularly distinctive, with a neck nearly as long as its shell that folds sideways beneath the body rather than retracting straight back. These turtles are commonly found in creeks, wetlands, farm dams, and marshes, where they feed on insects, tadpoles, worms, and small fish. During droughts, some species are even capable of traveling surprisingly long distances over land in search of new water sources, leading to the occasional sight of a turtle slowly crossing an Australian road after heavy rain.
Australia’s northern and coastal waters are also important habitats for sea turtles, including Green Sea Turtles, Loggerheads, Hawksbills, Flatbacks, and Leatherbacks. Many return to the very beaches where they hatched decades earlier, guided by instincts scientists still do not fully understand. Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef and surrounding coastline are especially famous for turtle nesting sites, where females haul themselves ashore at night to dig nests in the sand. Hatchlings then make a dangerous dash to the sea, avoiding birds, crabs, and other predators along the way.
Turtles also hold cultural importance in many Aboriginal traditions across Australia. In some regions, turtles appear in Dreaming stories connected with creation, waterways, patience, endurance, and survival. Place names such as Cootamundra are believed to preserve these ancient associations with turtle-rich wetlands and marshlands. Long before European settlement, Aboriginal communities carefully observed turtle behavior, seasonal movements, and breeding cycles as part of a deep knowledge of the landscape.
For more on Australia's turtles, click the river turtle!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
