Tour Scotland Video Highland Sword Dancesr Ceres Highland Games

Tour Scotland travel video of Sword Dancers at Ceres Highland Games, Fife. Gillie Callum or " Scottish sword dance " the dancer crosses two swords on the ground in an "X" shape, dances around and within the 4 quarters of it. In 1573 Scottish mercenaries are said to have performed a Scottish Sword dance before the Swedish King, John III, at a banquet held in Stockholm Castle. The dance, " a natural feature of the festivities, " was used as part of a plot to assassinate the King, where the conspirators were able to bare their weapons without arousing suspicion. Fortunately for the King, at the decisive moment the agreed signal was never given. " Sword dance and Hieland Dances " were included at a reception for Anne of Denmark at Edinburgh in 1589 and a mixture of sword dance and acrobatics was performed before James VI in 1617 and again for King Charles I in 1633, by the Incorporation of Skinners and Glovers of Perth All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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