By Emily Bartelheim, Features Editor
There are a few groups around Wooster’s campus that don’t get as much recognition as they should. One of them is The College of Wooster Scottish Highland Dancers,which has been at the College for at least 35 years. This past semester they had eleven dancers with Lisa Wollenberg ’11 and Betsy Drake ’11 leading the group.
Highland dancing evolved from forms of sword dancing that were performed by warriors in medieval Europe. The dances were performed at banquets before Swedish King John III.† They were so popular, the Highland dances were created.
These events were held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Here, the dances were first performed as we know them†† today.
There are four different uniforms worn while dancing.† The highland dance outfit (tartan kilt, black velvet jacket and tartan wool socks) is worn most often.† The national costume, the aboyne, is also a plaid or tartan fabric but has a gathered skirt instead of the kilt, also accompanied by a velvet best and white blouse.
According to Wollenberg, they have two other uniforms that are less well-known: the sailor costume for the Sailor’s Hornpipe and the jig costume for the Irish Jig, which is a red or green skirt with a white shirt.
All but one of the College’s Highland Dancers’ routines are done with soft shoes — the Irish Jig, which makes fun of stereotypical hot-headed Irish people — is performed with shoes that have clicks on the bottom.
The College of Wooster Scottish Highland Dancers dance at all College band concerts and home football games in the fall.† They also appear at events in downtown Wooster and various gigs on campus, such as Tartan day in mid-spring.
Wollenberg and Drake began participating in the Highland Dancers in the spring of their first years at the College, while also simultaneously learning Irish dancing with the Blackbirds.
Wollenberg said, “It takes a lot of work to perfect the dances, but it is not hard to pick up the basics if you are willing to learn something strange and new.”
Drake added, “I think the spring semester [one hour of practice per week] will get most people in shape to learn almost anything.”
There is currently a beginners’ group session that meets Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Thursdays 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., in which students learn two to three dances throughout the semester.
The marching band group performs about six dances throughout the semester, with the symphonic band group topping out at about 12 dances.
Drake says the group “is a great opportunity for people to learn about Scottish dance in a relaxed fashion.”
I didn’t know that the dancers even made appearances at band concerts, let alone learn up to 12 different dances in a semester, so I’m sure there is a plethora of other fellow students that were not aware of this either.
The College of Wooster Scottish Highland Dancers are one of the many groups that make this school so unique. Students and community members can show thier support of the dancers’ efforts by coming out to see what they’re all about.