" Old Trousers " ( Eng. Old Trousers or Unwanted Trousers , Gaelic. Seann Triubhas ) - Scottish dance, which is one of the four oldest traditional highland dances.
Content
The origin of the dance
The dance appeared due to a historical event that took place in 1745. Carl Edward Stewart , representative of the Stuart House expelled from Britain, tried to regain his throne and overthrow the reigning monarch of Hanover King George II . In July 1745, Carl Edward Stewart landed in Eriskey, Scotland, raised his father’s banner and launched a second Jacobite revolt . This year went down in history as the Forty-Five. The army assembled from the representatives of the mountain clans took Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, without a fight, and then, having defeated the modest government army, moved south to England. Having occupied Carlisle and reaching Derbyshire, the prince, at the request of his advisers, turned back to Scotland, since the Jacobite movement in England did not provoke mass support.
The government army, led by the son of the king William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, was put up against the rebellious prince, recalled from the fields of European battles. On April 16, 1746, the armies met at the Battle of Culloden , three miles east of Inverness , in northern Scotland. The place for the battle was chosen very poorly, the terrain was marshy and fairly flat, which impeded the favorite tactics of the Highland highlanders charge. Such an unfortunate choice of location was made by the prince, as he independently decided to control the troops in this battle. Advisor George Murray was removed from command and control. As a result, the tired and hungry Jacobite army was defeated and scattered; Prince’s adviser, Lord George Murray, managed to withdraw the rest of the army (about 3,000 Jacobites) to Rutven’s barracks, intending to continue the war, but Karl, believing that he was betrayed, decided to leave the rebels and hid from the English pursuers on the Isle of Skye . The Battle of Culloden was the last battle on the island of Great Britain [1] .
The consequences of the uprising were very unpleasant for Scotland . In 1747, the British Parliament by a special decree forbade the Scots to wear the national highlander's costume - kilt , any other tartan clothes and weapons. Outside the jurisdiction of the ban were only members of the Scottish Highland Regiments, women and the nobility. The Scots managed to achieve the abolition of the discriminatory decree only in 1782. This happened mainly due to the craze for fashion for tartan in London. The dance "Old pants" is a kind of symbol of this period. The first part of the dance is slow, it imitates sorrow for lost Scottish clothing and hatred for trousers, which, in the process of dance, are thoroughly “shaken off” from the feet. The second part of the dance is fast. It is a bit like highland fling and symbolizes the joy of the return of traditional clothing [2] .
Current status
The dance “Old Trousers” is a type of solo dance at competitions and events, for example at the “ Highland Games”. As in the case of Highland fling , traditional Scottish clothes are put on for the performance of the dance - a kilt, regardless of the gender of the dancer. The dance is divided into two parts, slow and fast. The transition between the slow and fast parts can be accompanied by a clap in the hands of the performer. In competitions, the dance has several levels from beginner to professional and varies in type and number of slow and fast steps. Dance performance options:
- 4 steps (3 slow steps and 1 quick step) - for participants with the age of 9 years or less;
- 6 steps (4 slow steps and 2 quick steps).
The order of steps, as well as other dance performance requirements, are published on the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing (SOBHD), one year before the competition. In competitions, the alternative execution of certain steps and alternative starting positions are allowed [3] .
Steps Used in the Dance
The slow part :
- 1st Brushing - always the first step in the dance;
- 2nd Side Travel;
- 3rd Diagonal Travel;
- 4th Backward Travel;
- 5th Traveling Balance;
- 6th Leap and Highcut;
- 7th Highcut in Front and Balance;
- 8th Side Heel-and-Toe;
- 9th Highcutting.
Quick part :
- 10th Shedding with Back-Step;
- 11th Toe-and-Heel and Rock;
- 12th Pointing and Back-Stepping;
- 13th Heel-and-Toe and Shedding;
- 14th Heel-and-Toe, Shedding, and Back-Stepping;
- 15th back-stepping.
Musical accompaniment
Dancers perform a dance to a traditional Scottish bagpipe. Musicians use the tune “Whistle ower the Lave o't '”, which is a case . The tempo of the game is 94 beats per minute for a slow part and 114 beats for a fast part.