ABSTRACT
In 1964, the Fletts noticed a widespread misperception, that the Scottish ‘National Dances,’ meaning Reels and Country dances, ‘were regarded as being on a different plane from ordinary ballroom dances' such as the Polka, Mazourka, Waltz, La Varsovienne, or Schottische. Dancing masters adapted material they taught as fashions changed, and before their era ended, some incorporated modern ballroom dances such as the Quickstep, Slow Foxtrot, and Tango. They also taught varied forms of dances with the same titles. The Fletts indicate that many dancing masters did not obsess over precise placement of feet in steps but tended to prioritise spatial relationships within social dances so that each pupil would be at the right place at the right time. The twentieth-century promotion of controlled standards for dance styles labelled Scottish has resulted in widespread generalisations. A wave of standardisation surged throughout the United Kingdom as American dances became popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
