Seann Triubhas

The Seann Triubhas is a Highland Dance that is believed to have originated from the rebellion of 1745, when England banned the Highlanders from wearing kilts. It is pronounced 'shawn troos'.

During this rebellion, Bonnie Prince Charlie challenged the might of England at Culloden. He lost the battle, and as a consequence the Highlanders were banned from wearing kilts. Kilts, along with bagpipes, were considered by the English as instruments of war. Without their kilts, they had to turn to wearing trousers. About thirty years later, the laws were repealed because of the tartan fabric fashion craze in London and the Highlanders were allowed to return to their original dress. The Seann Triubhas was created as a dance of celebration. The movements of the dance depict the legs defiantly shaking and shedding the hated trousers, to return to the freedom of the kilt. Some of these steps are believed to have originated from hard shoe dancing. "Seann Triubhas" is a Gaelic phrase which means "Old or Unwanted Trousers".

The first part of this dance depicts the dancer shedding the trousers, but this changes near the end. The dancer will clap, and this tells the bagpiper to speed up the music. The last steps look similar to the Highland Fling, and symbolize the joy of returning to the kilt.

The Seann Triubhas is now danced at most Highland Dance competitions around the world. Dancers usually start dancing it in the Beginner category at competitions, and continue to dance it up to Premier. This dance is also common in most Highland and Theory exams. Dancers wear the standard kilt outfit to perform this dance.

List of Steps

This dance is usually done with either... - 4 steps (3 slow steps and 1 quick step) - 6 steps (4 slow steps and 2 quick steps)

The first step must always be done to start the dance, but the rest of the steps are up to the dancer to choose. (At the higher levels the SOBHD will release a different order of steps for each year to be danced in championship competitions.) (Dancers taking theory exams may also need to know all of these steps, as well as their order, depending on the level of exam they are at.)

Music - Whistle ower the Lave o't'

Slow Steps Tempo - 94 beats to the minute
First Step: Brushing
Second Step: Side Travel
Third Step: Diagonal Travel
Fourth Step: Backward Travel
Fifth Step: Travelling Balance
Sixth Step: Leap and Highcut
Seventh Step: Highcut in Front and Balance
Eighth Step: Side Heel-and-Toe
Ninth Step: Double Highcutting

Quick Steps Tempo - 114 beats to the minute
Tenth Step: Shedding with Back-Step
Eleventh Step: Toe-and-Heel and Rock
Twelfth Step: Pointing and Back-Stepping
Thirteenth Step: Heel-and-Toe and Shedding
Fourteenth Step: Heel-and-Toe, Shedding, and Back-Stepping
Fifteenth Step: Back-Stepping

External links

* [http://www.sobhd.net/downloads/index.htm SOBHD - Championship Steps/Tempo]