Highland dance of the Black Cocks in Blair Atholl, Scotland

[BUDYSUDJATMIKO]

i love dance of scotland

[RoseLCL]

Would love to have them appear at our charity event next year at Balgonie Castle, raising money for the Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial Trust, anyone know how to contact them, thank you.

Rose

RT Burns Club

[hildeef1]

Respectfully, this looks like a children's dance

[AmericanCWOVI]

ALBA GO BRAGH!!

[nokiannie]

Stop slaging scottish men lol love to see the ausis dance like this

[MysteriousDrella]

gosh, i like this .... :)

But the title just sounds a bit wrong .... *coughs*.

[19Jemess51]

MysteriousDrella - the title is do with the Black Grouse, a Highland Moorland Bird we have here in Scotland. The male Grouse or 'Cocks' dance in a display area or Lek to attract the females each spring. This dance is an old traditional Highland dance that is celebrating the Black Grouse males or 'Cocks' - hope that helps explain the title.

[gator966]

men wearing skirts and holding hands!!

OK!

[Frankcar11]

thats great, the bigpie sound is really deep ,,so nicee! :)

[TheArdRigh]

10,000 plus hits and erudite comments!

Wonders will never cease in Mike Russell's new appointment as our Minister of Culture, very wary of profit oriented administrators mind you. Keep the corporate lobbyists well away. Get writing lads, direct involvement necessary now.

Check on the Tube: "Culture under the spotlight "

[liamcrouse]

And yes, youre correct, all living cultures change and evolve over time. However, your highland dancing was not created in genuine highland culture, but instead in the Highland Games' Competitions of the Victorian Era. Traditional dance is still preformed within the traditional highlands. The competitions of the HGs are not the trad highlands. Ex Piping in military is not traditional piping, its military piping. Real piping occurs in the remote fishing villages of the western coast.

[liamcrouse]

No, and neither do you... It certainly wasnt the highland dancing that you perform, as thats akwardly decendant of traditional highland dance. Yes theyre wearing tartan, and according to popular misconception of people who do only half their research, it is in fact traditional. Im taking a University Degree in it, I should know. Go read books, the oldest tartan is from 250 AD, from Falkirk and say, for traditional, from the Armorial de Gelre -1369 tartan is shown for the royal crest of scotland.

[WolfKing02]

I miss doing this type of Dance

[liamcrouse]

Well, you see, Im sure that he is feeling a little insulted when a "HighlanderChick" is trying to lecture a Highland Gael (who speaks gaelic and obviously knows what he is talking about) on his own culture. Would I ('S e gaingeach a th' annam) lecture a Bulgarian or Turk on his traditional culture, NO!

[TheArdRigh]

Great to see such authentic mens dance.

There is a grace there, must be the uisge-beatha! Perhaps the poster has more snippets up his sleeve?

Those with such crass titles as HighlanderChick are welcome to display such ignorance. Girls dancing over swords, wake up.

Bring back the men, the community, the aggression, the passion and above all - our tradition. There is enough watered down, effeminised pastiches, undeserving of containing 'Scottish' or 'Highland' in the titles so oft abused.

[kevinsbabe1970]

I don't claim to know alot about the sword dance but I thought only men did this traditionally, isn't that true???

[squeakymcmurdo]

I love it! I can just see in my minds eye those birds on National Geographic jumping up out of the tall grass to attract a mate, then no sooner do they flutter down back into the grass when two more pop up, "Lasses, here I am! Take me or leave me!" they seem to say.

[happychick94]

Liked most of the formations, but not so keen on the ring-a-ring-a-rosie. Arm muscles please, get those arms up guys! Overall a decent piece of entertainment, but some room for improvements.

[Macdonaldacademy]

Aye, well we have since that ceilidh made just that improvement :)

 Thanks for your insight!

[GaelicSurfer]

Wow! Thanks for posting this! More More!

[Filsoleil]

Nice dance! Please , could you tell me what is the name of the melody played on the pipes? Thanks!

[iain152c2i]

Hi Martialpiper, Regimental dancers are, without a doubt, the best. The number one doublet and plaid cannot be outdone.

[iain152c2i]

Given the rancourous nature of the posting I'm certain to cause offense but intend none when I say that even in the now more "feminised" competitive version, it is most exciting to see the few remaining male dancers when they compete. I think it would be nice to bring back some of the warrior spirit to the dance. This video is top notch and I too wish to see more like it, especially in relation to the formalised versions of the dances that we currently see.

[Semiomniscient]

I don't think I'd call it feminized so much as French-fried. The Scots borrowed steps from all over--it's not like they were shy about admitting it either. Anyway, this example is very interesting and it's the first time I've seen this dance performed (I've read about it and directions for it.)

[LunaLovegood22]

Suffice to say, you are forgiven and as for myself, I apologise for offending your personal beliefs in anyway. I appretiate this traditional form of dance, and I appretiate the more diciplined and more modern form of it aswell (competition Highland) perhaps you could accept us modern Highland dancers as appretiators and not call us "fake dancers" as many have a true and deep love of Scottish Highland culture.

[liamcrouse]

which version of Highland? Traditional or Neo Anglo-American knockoffs

[LunaLovegood22]

I appretiate this very fluidic and earthy style of traditional Highland dance, but I would prefer if you had come across in a more appraocable and tolerable way, Ella.

[LunaLovegood22]

Stop whining, that paragraph should have stopped at 'Sorry'.

[LunaLovegood22]

Look, I know your just some American teenager, theres no need to carry on with the whole 'Highland' act.

If you persist, I will be forced to contact the youtube staff on behalf of harassment of other youtube members including Highlander90210, highlanddancer1011 and others. For the sake of your so-called 'buisness' I suggest you stop immediatly. It is immature, rude, abusive and childish, but then again, you are a child.

[donnchadhban]

Who is this crazy "LunaLovegood"? She seems to be describing herself; an immature, rude, abusive child. I don't know her or "ellaphail" either, but the latter is certainly a Gaelic speaker and also articulate in English. Lunalovegood needs a psychiatrist!

[LunaLovegood22]

I would please ask you, Donnchadhban, to respect the fact you don't know me, or the PM's Ellaphail has sent me.

Psychiatrist? Crude, but oddly amusing. Perhaps as a school teacher, you would know to respect other individuals or is it different in the Highlands?

[liamcrouse]

Why would it be so hard to believe that there are people who actually live in the Highlands!! Just because a Highlander says something that you disagree with about their own culture (versus the fake/twisted view of the Highland culture that you have)doesnt mean he is therefore not from the Highlands. 'S ann as Na Staitean a tha mi ach ionnsaich mi aig an t-Oilthigh Dhún Éideann. Chan eil fios aig an cultar na Gáidhealteachd!

[LunaLovegood22]

Sorry, I don't think you can get any lower Ella.

Besides, unlike some people, I'm not a lieing cut-throat basement dweller who constantly bitches at innocent youtube members about what they think is right and wrong.

No Ella, I'm above that. Try again. Actually, don't.

[brrrenna]

SO HOT.

[LunaLovegood22]

Racist? Look whose talking Ella.

I've decided I've had enough of you and your trolling.

I'm bringing you down, whether you like it or not.

[RedRobRoy1977]

Very intresting! True spirit of Scotland :)

[RooK003]

So fantastic and very masculine. Please post more of this.

[donnchadhban]

Sgoinneal! Dh'ainich mi sin agus an oran:

"Righle nan coilleach dhubha, Dannsa nan tunnagan, Air a'bhruaich bhoidhich." This is a glimpse of Highland Culture. Whoever these folk are, they're rare today. I'm a Highland man myself and pleased to see this.

[highlanddancer1011]

I can appreciate your dancing in it's "natural form" so I think it would be better of you to appreciate our "Fake highland dancing" for what it is then instead of bashing all the highland dancers on here. OF COURSE we can take criticism because that's what we do as highland dancers to get better instead of flopping our ugly feet around and calling it highland. The movements you are doing is a very loose highland dancing that doesn't have any discipline...which is what we add to it.

[liamcrouse]

Your modern day "traditional" highland dances is but a mockery of the real highland dancing that this group does. The Highland Dance of "Anglo-America" (as he puts it) has devolped into a comercialised culture that is not of the Highlands. How can a person not from the highlands lecture a Highlander on his own dance and culture?!! Atleast take the word Highland of your dancing, because it is certainly not that anymore!

[podpiwek666]

Beautiful!!! So traditional and pure, great!

[TZAVELENA]

oh please, please, can we have some more of this genuine dancing. I am sick to death of all the fake "scottish" dancing one sees...the real thing has such dignity and grace!