# Dirk dance

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Dirk Dance Also known as Scottish Knife Fighting, Highland Knife Fighting, Dirk Fighting, Dirk Fencing Focus Knife Fighting Country of origin United Kingdom Scotland Parenthood Historical Olympic sport No

A **dirk dance** is a [Scottish](/source/Scottish_people) [dance](/source/Dance) performed while brandishing a [dirk](/source/Dirk). It is a [solo dance](/source/Solo_(dance)) but can be performed by two or more people dancing in unison. The dance is quite different in style from the better known [Highland dances](/source/Scottish_highland_dance) and in many ways imitates the use of a dirk in fighting. Research suggests that the dance may, in fact, have originated as a series of moves for training in the use of the dirk. There are records showing that a Dirk Dance was included in [Highland Dance](/source/Highland_Dance) competitions in 1841.[1]

The dance was recorded by J. F. and T. M. Flett in their book, *Traditional Step-Dancing in Scotland*, after they learned it from Mary Isdale Mac Nab of [Vancouver](/source/Vancouver). She in turn had learned the dance in the 1900s from Scottish piping and dance champion, D.C. Mather. Another tradition of dirk dance, now lost, involved two dancers. In this dance, one is "killed" with the dirk, but then resurrected by his/her sorrowful partner. A dirk dance from the [Isle of Man](/source/Isle_of_Man) was also recovered by Manx folk researcher, [Mona Douglas](/source/Mona_Douglas). In this version, the dancer wields a [dagger](/source/Dagger).

Highland dance was also performed with other [weapons](/source/Weapons) including the [Lochaber axe](/source/Lochaber_axe), the [broadsword](/source/Broadsword), [flail](/source/Flail_(weapon)), and paired [targe](/source/Targe) and dirk. The Highland Dirk Dance resembles a combative dance similar to those of Indonesian [Pentjak Silat](/source/Silat), which has the performer executing knife techniques combined with [wrestling](/source/Wrestling) style kicks, trips and sweeps. One version of the dance involved attacking and defensive techniques with [single-sticks](/source/Singlestick) and targe shields and was last performed in Britain in 1850 by two brothers named MacLennan, one of whom was a colleague of Mr Mather.

## See also

- [Four Scottish Dances](/source/Four_Scottish_Dances)

- [Scottish country dance](/source/Scottish_country_dance)

- [Sword dance](/source/Sword_dance)

- [Scottish Martial Arts](/source/Scottish_Martial_Arts)

- [Scottish Wrestling](/source/Scottish_Backhold)

- [Historical fencing in Scotland](/source/Historical_fencing_in_Scotland)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Webster, David, Scottish Highland Games, 1959 ed., pg.33

## External links

- [Scottish Combat Academy article on the dirk dance](http://dirkdance.tripod.com/id6.html)

- [A book containing some discussion of the Dirk Dance in context of knife fighting](https://web.archive.org/web/20070204004853/http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=1491)

- [*Restoring to Use Our Almost Forgotten Dances: The Collection and Revival of Manx Folk Song and Dance* by Mona Douglas](https://web.archive.org/web/20060131155648/http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~stephen/chiollaghbooks/MD_RESTORING_2up.pdf)

v t e Scottish folk music Folk song Bothy ballad Cornkister Gaelic psalm singing Lilting Puirt à beul Waulking song Folk dances Cèilidh Dirk Highland Country Sword Instruments Accordion Acoustic guitar Bass drum Border pipes Cello Clàrsach (Harp) Fiddle Flute Great Highland bagpipe Low whistle Melodeon Piano Scottish smallpipes Side drum Tenor drum Tin whistle Common forms (by metre) Duple-time Polka Highland Schottische Duple / Quadruple-time Barn dance Highland Fling Hornpipe Reel Strathspey Triple-time Waltz Duple compound Jig Two-step Triple compound Slip jig Others Marches Modes Aeolian Dorian Ionian Mixolydian Pentatonic Characteristics Scotch snap Related music English folk music Irish traditional music (particularly the Donegal fiddle tradition) Cape Breton fiddling

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