Scottish Take-over - The St Bernard's Waltz

For Susan Omand’s annual Scottish take-over this year, get ready to swing your sporrans with our answer to Strictly Come Dancing and learn some proper ceilidh dances...



If you’re of a certain age and went to a Scottish primary school, you will remember the trauma of gym class in the run up to the Christmas holidays... learning Scottish Country Dancing! However, they are lessons that have stood us all in good stead at Hogmanay parties, weddings and ceilidhs over the years so, for this week, I want to help everyone get ready for your own Hogmanay ceilidh and not look stupid on the dance floor by practising now with five of the most famous Scottish Country Dances. Today is...

The St Bernard’s Waltz.

A slow one to start with, til you get used to it.



Formation: couples around the room in ballroom hold* heading anti-clockwise, men** on the inside facing out.



Music: waltzes (16 bars of music per sequence below).





Bars: Description



1-4: In ballroom hold*, take three steps sideways towards the lady's right, man's left, then stamp both feet.



5-6: Take two steps sideways in the opposite direction.



7-8: Take two steps towards the centre of the room (lady heading forwards with right foot then left foot, man backwards with left foot then right).



9-10: Take two steps back out (same feet).



11-12: Lady turns about on the spot under the joined hands.



13-16: Waltz*** onwards round the room.

Watch the video to get some help.









*Ballroom hold – this one. 

** for the purposes of using someone else’s instructions, men are the lead dancers but it’s often the case that women dance this together, while the men are at the bar, and just decide who is going to be “lead”

*** Man steps forward with right foot, sidestep with left, close right foot to left foot, back with left foot, sidestep with right, close left foot to right foot. Lady does the reverse so moves back with left foot, sidestep with right, close left foot to right foot, forward with right foot, sidestep with left, close right foot to left foot, back with left foot, sidestep with right, close left foot to right foot. Watch this video for help.

Instructions - http://www.scottishdance.net/ceilidh/dances.html

Videos - courtesy of Creative Scotland