Scottish Dance Beyond 1805 presents a history of Scottish music and dance over the last 200 years, with a focus on sources originating in Aberdeenshire, when steps could be adapted in any way the dancer pleased. The book explains the major changes of how dance was taught, and performed by highlighting a move to the professional, licensed teachers. This ethnographical study assesses how the Highland Fling has been altered and how its standardisation has affected contemporary Highland dance and music, by examining the experience of dancers and pipers. It also looks at reactions to regulation and standardisation through the introduction to Scotland of unregulated percussive step dance and 'called' ceilidh dancing.

Today, Highland dancing is a standardised international form of dance. This book tells the story of what changed, and why. It unfolds through a series of colourful characters, through the dances they taught and the music they danced to, particularly in the story of one dance, the Highland Fling. It considers how Scottish dance reflected changes in Scottish society and culture.

The book will be of interest to scholars and postgraduates in the fields of Dance History, Ethnomusicology, Ethnochoreology, Ethnology and Folklore, Cultural History, Scottish Studies and Scottish Traditional Music and also to teachers, judges and practitioners of Highland dancing and to those interested in the history of Scottish dance, music and culture.