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Magazine picture entitled 'The Sword Dance'

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Magazine picture entitled 'The Sword Dance'
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Magazine picture entitled 'The Sword Dance', c. 1904. A romanticised view of army life taken from a painting by M. Orange. Set in the island of Jersey, a piper of the 2nd Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry performs a 'Sword Dance'.

The Sword Dance, or Dannse Gille Calum (literally the dance of a young man called Malcolm) would be performed in turn by the soldiers and was seen as a symbol of a sincere and hospitable welcome.

To perform the dance, two swords are placed crossed at right angles on the ground. The tune performed on the bagpipes is usually a Strathspey, quickening to a reel as the dance becomes more vigorous.

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