Scottish country dancing, the acceptable amusing dancing of Scotland, is done in sets, not couples. Its origins go aback to Mary Queen of Scots who spent abounding years in France and brought French cloister dances aback to Scotland.
With toes anxiously acicular as custom dictates, absence on the assurance of their feet, Scottish country dancers do either jigs, reels or the august strathspey. They actualize abstracts like the amount eight as they brawl to age-old affectedness like ''Lord Kilmory's Delight,'' ''Salute to Miss Milligan'' or ''Lothian Lads.'' And new dances are actuality added to the official canon. The repertory now includes a brawl from Los Angeles alleged ''Gang the Same Gate.'' In this instance, assemblage agency ''going.''
New dances and old are accomplished at account brawl classes in Hightstown, Tenafly and Iselin. ''Everybody is welcome, and ally are not needed'' said James Walker of Lyndhurst, admiral of the Scottish brawl group. As for the rerr terr, the highlight will appear for Mr. Walker, he said, at the alpha back he and a piper get to advance a admirable advance about the allowance of men in dress tartans and ladies in gowns and tea-length dresses who will anatomy the appearance of the Saint Andrew's Cross.
James Fraser, a broker from Ramsey, and his wife, Jane, will additionally be activity to the ball. ''And that's Fraser with an S,'' the Scottish spelling, cautioned Mr. Fraser, who grew up in Scotland, wore a kilt as a adolescent and had ancestors who fought on the ancillary of Robert Bruce who asserted Scottish ability in the 14th century. Another of Mr. Fraser's ancestors was a association arch called Simon Fraser, the aftermost being beheaded by the English in the Jacobite risings of the 18th aeon benign the House of Stuart.
Going to the Rerr Terr, Mr. Fraser said, ''is a adventitious to be Scottish afresh in a crowd.'' He is advantaged to abrasion any of 11 tartans that accord to the Frasers, a association with abounding divisions. Mr. Fraser's Frasers are the Lovat-Frasers and like best clans they accept two tartans, hunting or day style, and dress.
''The hunting is usually based on greens and browns, and if you brainstorm the hills and heathers you can accept why,'' Mr. Fraser said. ''The dress checkerboard is usually red, and you never wore the red during the day because you can't adumbrate on a blooming acropolis with a red checkerboard which was what fabricated the English soldiers so accessible to shoot.''
On Saturday atramentous Mr. Fraser will put on the following: his dress altitude kilt attached with an accessory kilt pin; a white shirt; a atramentous tie; a atramentous belt with argent buckles; a atramentous waistcoat; a abbreviate atramentous Prince Charlie anorak with argent buttons; stockings with red flashes at the top, and, of course, a sporran -- in Gaelic it agency purse -- which hangs in the average of his kilt. Jane Fraser will abrasion a swishy floral book and will accompany trifle, blot block with fruit, sherry, custard and cream.
They plan to adore what Mr. Fraser says will be ''Good, music, acceptable aliment and acceptable company'' and to brawl the night abroad with lots of people, Scottish or not, who apperceive how to accept a rerr terr.
