Gareth Mitchelson - World Champion Highland Dancer
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World Champion Highland Dancer Gareth Mitchelson dances 'The Sword Dance' accompanied by Piper David Low at Kildrummy Castle Gardens. The track is from the Ross Records video On The Banks of The Don filmed in 1999. There have been over 226,000 views
so far.
Gareth also dances the Seann Truibhas accompanied by Piper David Low in Kildrummy Castle Gardens. The track is also from the Ross Records video On The Banks of The Don presented by Robert Lovie.
Search on KZread 'Ross Records Highland Dancing Playlist' to see more dance tracks.
Also: Enter 'Ross Records Bagpipe Music Playlist' in KZread Search for more Pipers and Pipe Tunes.
The Sword dance is one of the best known of all Highland dances, an ancient dance of war. Performance of sword dances in the folklore of Scotland is recorded from as early as the 15th century.
History of the Scottish sword dance
Gillidh Callum was a figure in Scottish apocryphal folk belief, said to be Noah's bagpiper. According to these beliefs, Noah, upon first drinking fermented wine, crossed two vines and danced above them while Gillidh Callum played the bagpipes, thus inventing the ancestor of the Highland sword dance (gillie callum).
As a part of the traditional Scottish intangible heritage, the performance of the Sword Dance has been recorded as early as the 15th century. It is normally recognised as the war dance with some ceremonial sense in the Scottish Royal court during that period. The old kings and clan chiefs organised the Highland Games as a method to choose their best men at arms, and the discipline required to perform the Highland dances allowed men to demonstrate their strength, stamina, and agility. The earliest reference also mentioned that the dance is often accompanied with the music of bagpipes. The basic rule requires the dancer to cross two swords on the ground in an "X" or "+" shape and to dance around and within the 4 quarters of it.
The earliest reference to these dances in Scotland is mentioned in the Scotichronicon, compiled in Scotland by Walter Bower in the 1440s. The passage regards Alexander III and his second marriage to the French lady Yolande de Dreuxat Jedburgh in Roxburghshire on 14 October 1285.
At the head of this procession were the skilled musicians with many sorts of pipe music including the wailing music of bagpipes, and behind them others splendidly performing a war-dance with intricate weaving in and out. Bringing up the rear was a figure regarding whom it was difficult to decide whether it was a man or an apparition. It seemed to glide like a ghostrather than walk on feet. When it looked as if he would disappear from everyone's sight, the whole frenzied procession halted, the song died away, the music faded, and the dancing contingent froze suddenly and unexpectedly.
Пікірлер: 500
Traditionally, the sword dance was done in bare feet. It was done the night before a battle and the success of the dancer predicted the outcome.
@natalyakostikova1921
Ай бұрын
Спасибо за информацию , расширили мой кругозор ❤
@jannetteberends8730
Ай бұрын
So when he accidentally cut his toe off, they had one man less. Yes that wouldn’t be good.
@wholeNwon
Ай бұрын
Thank you for the info.
@gentianvandewerken929
29 күн бұрын
They lost that battle/the dancing was awful!lol
@eova
22 күн бұрын
Forgot to add…´sometimes´
Awesomely well-danced. His footwork is fantastic! It’s wonderful to see such artistry! Keeping Scottish dance alive takes much skill, accuracy, & stamina! ❤❤❤
@SharonMartinez
Ай бұрын
I could just see me tripping over the knives and impaling meself. Definitely not a dance for sissies. ❤
@maryclynch9356
Ай бұрын
Also Scottish teachers to keep teaching children at school !😁
When I was much younger, I used to think this was rubbish and for girls and that the boys were a bit fey but now that I'm older, I can really appreciate the skill and passion that goes into this. This is a great exhibition.
@paulscott1091
5 ай бұрын
no you were right when you were younger
@pipermac
5 ай бұрын
Back in the bad olde days dancing was very much a man's thing...same with pipe bands...why did they have ladies pipe bands? women have pretty much taken over tenor drumming in bands, i dont know why...i really enjoy watching men highland dance and would love to see more young men taking an interest in it.
@jorgebalarinbenavides2172
5 ай бұрын
I thought that you would have said that now that you are older your first impressions were confirmed 😂.
@jorgebalarinbenavides2172
5 ай бұрын
Terrible.
@Master-of-the-Cum
4 ай бұрын
@@paulscott1091 go back to England
Astounding! This beautiful Scottish Dance reminds me very much of Ballet. Bravo!
@Alinor24
Ай бұрын
It reminds me of ballet as well. I guess the limitations of the human body lead to the development of similar dance moves.
@frozenwarning
Ай бұрын
It comes from the same traditions. The French Gauls were the Irish Gaels which migrated into the Scottish Highlands bringing their dancing with them. Look at ballet, Irish, dancing, and Scottish dancing, and you can see how they’re all cousin styles.
@aliceputt3133
Ай бұрын
They took ballet. It’s part of the training.
@waynethomas3638
Ай бұрын
Scottish dancing is a more strict precise movement whereas ballet has a more flowing graceful movement.
@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633
Ай бұрын
Me too!
Fierce warriors and graceful dancers. Absolutely exquisite. ❤
@billybunter3753
Ай бұрын
Full on hommo!
@gaiagreen2690
Ай бұрын
@@billybunter3753 🙄 No point in arguing with a combo of prejudice, ignorance and hatred.
@billybunter3753
Ай бұрын
@@gaiagreen2690 You're right, fancy pants, oops I mean dress is fine...
@gaiagreen2690
Ай бұрын
@@billybunter3753 Did you ever hear of Scottish history? Did you even go to school?
@billybunter3753
Ай бұрын
@@gaiagreen2690 I think I went to school, I can't remember...But I know a homo when I see McOne! 🤣
Outstanding job. Beautiful footwork and style. Thank you for keeping Scottish highland dance alive and well.
Must have taken years to reach that level of perfection. Congratulations! It was a pleasure watching this Scottish dancer ❤❤❤
@waynethomas3638
Ай бұрын
The sword dance is but 1 of many dances learnt for highland dancing including the highland fling, reel of tulloch and seann triubhas which my sister, brother and myself learnt and practiced for six or seven years.
@booker0110
Ай бұрын
When the sword dance was done with bare feet the swords were real and sharp. Ouch.
@erinfield1943
Ай бұрын
Are we watching the same thing?
@ph1shk4
4 күн бұрын
Yeah. When nothing better to do you dance this ugly ridiculous dance.
Wow! On grass, with a basket-hilt sword! Outstanding!
@waynethomas3638
Ай бұрын
Usually in competition the sword dance is danced on crossed double swords( twice as many chances of cutting off of the toes)😀 I could not tell if he was a true scotsman pertaining to his under kilt attire!
My mum won an award in school for best sword dancer (Glasgow). Watching Gareth was amazing. I have two left feet and it didna pass doon tae me LOL!
@bonniemoerdyk9809
8 күн бұрын
I too, have not received the skills or talents of my mother's Irish side, or any of my father's Scottish side ~ with the exception of one thing, my LOVE of all things SCOTTISH & all things IRISH!!!!! 🥰🥰
In America NFL players study ballet for strength and endurance
@TBrl8
Ай бұрын
I heard the fridge did a mean pirouette.
@onemercilessming1342
Ай бұрын
Yes...and Rosey Grier did needlepoint, not just for relaxation and recreation, but also for increasing focus and attention to detail.
@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633
Ай бұрын
Good for them.
GOD BLESS SCOTISH PEOPLE AND SCOTLAND 🤓 HUGGS FROM FRANCE 🤓
I sure do love the beautiful Scottish accent , the bagpipes, the dance , all wonderful 😻
@u4riahsc
Ай бұрын
I love to hear the trilled RRRRs when a Scottish person speaks. It sounds so musical.
@princesse523
Ай бұрын
The worrrrrld ❤
@rolandscales9380
22 күн бұрын
Any Scots accent in particular? There are dozens. As for bagpipes, I own several sets, and not one of them is Scottish. Google the subject.
@seirbhiseach
10 күн бұрын
@@rolandscales9380 Oh wow, you know a lot, good for you! Or perhaps they meant the particular Scottish accent is beautiful and not that there is merely one Scottish accent that is particularly beautiful, and they didn't ever mention the exclusivity of bagpipe status or manufacture in Scotland. But good for you for owning a few, maybe if you weren't a prick people would care!
@tracey1186
2 күн бұрын
@@seirbhiseach😂 🤣 From a Scot
Hula in Hawaii was a warriors dance. The King would select warriors from those who were the best in Hula. In the 11th century it is said Scottish warriors would use the Highlander dance to select the best warriors to go into battle. There must be something to this! 😮❤❤❤
@rolandscales9380
22 күн бұрын
It is said by whom? My understanding is that the Scottish "warriors" would be "volunteered" by the sergeant-major.
That was marvelous! The strength, energy, and polished skill it took to execute that difficult dance was extraordinary!
A lot of stamina skill and althetisim 👏🏻
Посмотрела танец , прочитала кмментарии - открыла для себя совершенно неизвестную страницу - танец шотландских воинов и традиции связанные с ним - удивительная и захватывпющая история - танец горцев , надо было танцевать босиком и лучших сам король отбирал себе в воины ! Привет из России Я в восторге от мастерства танцора , легкий , как мячик , точные ноги , обоятельный красавчик и замечательная сцена - живая поляна ❤
@anyuka2466
Ай бұрын
России привет из Украины! 🖐😀
@user-nb3iw2oq6e
4 күн бұрын
А я читала про шотландскую кошку и мне порекомендовали это. Ха ха. Кстати , есть шикарный котенок. Никому не надо. Не царапается и не касается вообще. Берешь на руки , прячет когти
Clear to see why he is World champion! ❤ Mesmerizing! ❤
What an astounding performance. Such strength looking as though it cost him nothing.Such grace and ridiculously airy leaping on perfectly positioned feet ❤❤❤❤❤
Absolutely amazing footwork . Precision, strength, timing and your double time was brilliant. Well done. What a joy to watch.
I danced a similar routine when I was 17 years old in high school in a production of Brigadoon, playing Harry Beaton. I did well for my training and my age, but it was nothing like this gentleman with his grace, technique, and skill. Bravo!
You can see that this takes so much strength and precision!❤❤❤
And on grass! That is hard!
Beautiful highland dance....perfect; Love your Clans Tartan too, just as beautiful. From New Zealand. God Bless Gareth Mitchelson.
Just watching 2 minutes of it makes me breathless. It takes a lot of stamina i'm sure.
Top knotch! Really appreciated watching his footwork! I danced this as a child.
Wonderful. When I was young, my siblings and I would put on my mothers bagpipe records, love the bagpipes, they had different pictures on them, I remember sword dancers on one. We would lay sticks on the carpet and pretend to sword dance to the music. Loved it. I am from Ontario Canada, just north of Toronto. Years later roomed with a girl who had been a scottish dancer, ranked 6th in the world, even danced in front of Lady Diana and Prince Charles. I think I just got blessed.
He’s got great cardio!❤
All the dancing on tiptoe !
An absolutely fantastic exhibition of both dancer's and piper's skills. Thank you so much for sharing this. An awestruck Scot living in Australia 🇦🇺
That's super-hard to do without touching the swords, I'm impressed !
@crebeccastewart3910
4 ай бұрын
I had lessons when we lived in Scotland. It takes a lot of stamina to do it correctly. 🎉
@suebruce493
Ай бұрын
Hopscotch, a game for jumping.
@lightofthejul
Ай бұрын
And on the green no less ! Very difficult !
Bravo- wonderful dance-:like a feather....men looks so elegant in the highland dress,beeing for a visit in Scotland i love to see men weaing a kilt and hearing bag pipes
Anyone that has the ability to do this has a piece of my heart
Incredible performance
All I can say is: WOW!!!!!
That was so well danced. Such precise footwork, a delight to watch.
Wow, he’s terrific! The footwork is very impressive. I think men look great in kilts.
@booker0110
Ай бұрын
So do I.
@marilynhands1859
7 күн бұрын
Me too!!!🫢🫢😬😬
Impressive . . . VERY impressive! Those are some of the fastest feet in Scotland! Bravo!
Overall fan of cultural dances, watching Highland dance for the first time. Thank you for posting this. Beautiful!
Wow, just wow. I’m seeing incredible strength and precision.
The fitness of the lass. Very beautiful
You go man. Dance around me anyday!
Awesome….I love ethnic dances, love the Scottish and Irish styles, I love the music and love all those who keep their traditional dances and music together in spite of changing times. This is absolutely beautiful, it takes a lot of stamina and energy to keeping it going strong….my hats off and a gentle bow to the gentleman. He does this so easily, but it is harder than one may think. I know because I have done some of this myself in my younger years…👍👍👍👍👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🇺🇸
Wow! Beautifully executed! Talk about strong!!
My ankles would have given up 10 seconds into that🥴 Beautifully done!
I read a lot of books about historical Scotland and the highlands. Well their romance in the highlands. This dancer will be in my minds eye when I read my next highland romance book! Handsome and talented ❤❤❤
Men love to dance and sing. They do them both very well. ♥️🎵♥️🎵♥️
I really like the sound of bagpipes!
I know very little about sword dancing, but it was amazing to have the tempo pick up at the end to increase the challenge. Wow!
@h.b16
2 ай бұрын
It’s highland dancing. This is just one of the dances called the sword dance.
Absolutely beautiful ❤
The Sword Dance was my favourite. Think this gentleman does soooo much better than I did. I still have some of my medals though. 💕💕💕
Almost brings a tear to my eye. The dance of my ancestors. Greetings from NZ 🇳🇿
My great-grandmother was a Gibson. Her brother was known as 'Gibby'. 😊 The athleticism and musical timing of this dancer is extraordinary.
Очень красивый танец! Танцор - настоящий профессионал, супер талантливый!❤❤❤❤❤
So classy---and handsome, to boot.
That's one heck of a cardio! I just tried to do the fling for 3 minutes and I'm winded. Bravo!!!
@akrogirl32
2 ай бұрын
I was also a premier level Highland dancer, and I was told that fifteen minutes of Highland dancing was the equivalent of an hour of aerobics.
I clicked on this before I've gotten up and had my coffee, never really heard Scottish bagpipes before.😮😅
Watched several times, just beautiful! Bravo!! 👏🏼 👏🏼👏🏼
👏 👏 👏 👏 that is not easy to do. Wonderful.❤
Their dance and music is as good as their food.
@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633
Ай бұрын
No. Much, much better.
Incredible!!!
It's like he's summoning spirits with his moves
Holy sh, the memories this brings! Beautiful.
Found out through DNA testing that I am part Scottish………now I know why I have always loved bagpipes and dancers! ❤
@natalyakostikova1921
Ай бұрын
Удивительно ! Неужели любовь к танцам передается на генетическом уровне ?
@Essemm52
Ай бұрын
@@natalyakostikova1921Lol! Probably not! The bagpipes do have an emotive sound though. Perhaps memories of a previous life? Well, might as well go full on fantasy! 😆
@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633
Ай бұрын
@@Essemm52Don't know. I'm not Scottish, nor do I have any Scottish blood, but the bagpipes hypnotise me. We have pipes in Hungarian folk music too. We call them dudák.
Such an elegant and majestic dance.
What a great demonstration
It is Great!!! Thanks!❤
Yeah, I was going to say strength, endurance AND agility. 😊
Wow! Light as a feather, that man flew. Like ballet. I adore the pipes.
Первоклассный танцор , браво !
I can remember back in elementary school we had different types of danc in physical education rofl. We did not do the sword dance ( no swords allowed in elementary school.) But we were taught a cute little Irish ditty called the washer woman jig.
Always loved watching this.
Veramente emozionante!!! Grazie ❤
He looks built by classical ballet. That footwork takes years to acheive. You need daily training structure to get to this man’s level.
@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633
Ай бұрын
achieve
It has got me pointing my toes and wriggling my feet u controllably.
That kilt was going pretty high up !😂
@stinew358
Ай бұрын
Makes it more exciting for the ladies
@liliumbosniacum7781
Ай бұрын
@@stinew358 Oh, yes… indeed!;)
@liliumbosniacum7781
Ай бұрын
… and I like it!:)
Die Ausführung dieses schottischen Tanzes ist sehr elegant getanzt! Gute Beinarbeit!😊
Шотландскому балету БРАВО !!!
@Tamilarinna
Ай бұрын
😅😅😅
HE IS AN AWESOME DANCER. I LIKE THE BAGPIPES. IT IS SOOTHING TO MY SOUL. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. DUDE.
Really great to watch!! Thanks for the video.
Such a joy to watch. Grace and precision! ⚔️🗡⚔️
bloody hell!!! brilliant!
Chapeau! What a great dance!
Go Gareth! My toes were pointing just watching. I want some thistle socks just like yours...
Skill and grace. It's a gift that this appeared in my feed.
Beautiful dance, beautiful scenery, beautiful regalia but I’m here for the accent! DANG!!! ♥️
I cannot but really admire the skill and dedication that goes into this dance and to the talent of the dancer who performs it. To be able to get so close to the swords and not touch the blades or lookdown to see where you're putting your feet is amazing.
My word, he's amazingly graceful. Actually it's really fabulous to watch!
Wonderful dancer! Awesome footwork! Greetings from São Paulo, Brasil!
So beautiful ❤ my ancestors were scottish - this is absolutely lovely.
Wow, I love Highland Dance. This was amazing! Love the bagpipe,too. Thanks👍👍 ❤️❤️❤️!
Обожаю Ирландию и Шотландию! Обожаю их танцы и волынку! Преклоняюсь перед Майклом Флетли! Спасибо Вам из Санкт-Петербурга Россия! I love Ireland and Scotland! I love their dancing and bagpipes! I bow to Michael Flatley! Thank you from Saint Petersburg Russia!
Звук волынки это что то,...а танцует виртуозно .браво.
Молодчина! Завжди дивлюсь, як танцююиь Ваші дівчата, як гірські молоді кізочки. А це щось інше, мужнє, не менш красиве. Миру та добра. ❤❤❤😂
YES!! Keep this culture ALIVE!!
Loved it. Used to dance this as a wee girl of 11.
@crebeccastewart3910
4 ай бұрын
Me also.❤
Так красиво и необычно
Impresionante la destreza, hermosa danza y la musica , hermoso baile, felicitaciones
When you see that he is dancing over swords, you can see how fierce this really is!😢. As Americans we can’t really appreciate the significance of all of that! Wake up people!
❤ Merci. Ce danseur est magnifique. J admire son très beau kilt et sa belle tenue . C est vraiment un grand plaisir de voir cette danse, ❤❤❤
Excellent performance ♥️🏴🇦🇺🦘