Books
There are several textbooks recommended for Scottish Highland dance. Not only do they describe in detail the dances taught at Piedmont Highland Dance, they also contain valuable information about the basic terms and individual movements of Scottish Dance.
At the Beginner level it is optional to have any of the following textbooks. Intermediate and Advanced students should have the following textbooks.
Highland Dances
The textbook of the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dance (SOBHD) is the foundational text for Highland Dance. It describes basic foot, arm and other positions and movements, and the steps for the Fling, Reel, Seann Triubhas, and Sword dances. There is a new edition out for 2017, but dancers may use recent previous editions as PHD is not a competitive class.
National/Hebridean/Other Dances
There are several texts for the National and other dances taught at PHD. They generally contain the same dances, but each text may have some variations of the dance as described by the particular governing body producing the text. PHD students should at least own the SDTA text and may use the SDTA and UKA texts in addition..
Character Dances
Advanced students should also own the texts which describe the positions, movements and steps for the Hornpipe and Jig.
Textbook Retailers
Miscellaneous Books
“A High Cut Above” is essentially a collection of bagpipe sheet music needed for the Highland, National and Character dances, so it is helpful for the dancer to have on hand in many performance situations. It also contains valuable information regarding tempos, time signatures, bars needed and other specifications for each dance. Highly recommended!