ATHENS, Ohio — The Athens Ohio Scottish Country Dancers might not dance in a 1500s Scottish castle, but their traditional community-based Scottish country dancing just might transport you there.
Scottish country dancing originated in Scotland in the 18th century and its modern form remains similar to its roots. Today, Scottish country dancing is found across the globe with little alterations.
Group leader and dance coach Anna Hess started the group in 2021 after she attended a virtual festival in 2020 that included Scottish country dance.
“I remembered how much I loved it, and I was like, ‘We’re going to do this here,’” Hess said.
Hess described Scottish country dancing as the perfect blend of contra and Irish dancing. “You have to learn a certain amount of footwork before you can do much of anything, but it’s not nearly as hard as Irish footwork,” she said.
Scottish country dancing is a collaborative community activity, with dancers working in groups of two to eight to form “figures” that are arranged in succession to choreograph a full dance.
The Athens group does not perform; instead, they focus on the community building aspect of their dancing.
“I really enjoy the way that the group really pulls together and becomes a community,” Hess said.
Other members of the group echoed her sentiment, and also championed the group as a great way to meet new people. Halfway through every class, the group breaks for tea, which involves a small snack and conversation before jumping back into dancing. The group also occasionally meets outside of dance class for community events, such as Hogmanay — Scottish New Year’s Eve.
“Oh, we had so much fun,” said Connie Hunter, an active dancer in the group. “We had a lot of people…Someone came from Madison, [Wisconsin].”
In addition, members of the group occasionally attend larger events throughout Ohio.
“We went to the Centenary Ball, the 100th anniversary of [Royal Scottish Country Dance Society],” Hess said. “Once you get into it, there are opportunities.”
When asked why someone should try Scottish Country dancing, one answer resounded: “It’s fun!”
“Some people come in with a frown, but I have never seen anyone leave with a frown,” Hess said.
Dancers emphasize the group’s can-do attitude.
“When we finish a song, if we’ve done it well, we all break into cheers. But also, if we’ve all done it badly, mostly we’re like, ‘Well, let’s try it again. We can do it better. We can do it right,’” Hunter said.
The group includes people from ages 22-70 years old, with some driving from as far as Lancaster each week to attend the class. In the future, the group hopes to expand further.
“We’re trying to rope in a lot of new people,” Hess said “We’ve got a new class coming up in July, and that’s going to be a beginner class, and it’ll probably be our last beginner class of the year. We’re hoping lots of people will come out and try it.”
The group meets every Sunday in the Athens Community Center, 701 E. State St., from 2-4 pm. To sign up to join the classes, contact the community center at 740-592-3325. For further information or questions, contact Anna Hess at anna@kitenet.net.
