THE role of Scottish country dancing in schools is a vital part of pupils learning about their heritage, a leading body has said.
The Royal Scottish Country Dancing Society (RSCDS) spoke out after accusations that the practice was responsible for homophobic bullying in schools.
Social dancing is widely used in schools both as a social activity and at end of year events, but because it can involve picking partners some believe it results in homophobic bullying.
Read more: Scottish country dancing "leads to homophobic school bullying"
In one case a male pupil taking part in the Dashing White Sergeant dance pulled his sleeves down over his hands to “avoid touching the gay boy”.
Jim Healy, chairman of the RSCDS, said: “We feel that children in Scottish schools should be able to learn about their cultural heritage and this includes Scottish country dancing.
“We want children to appreciate our traditional music, enjoy learning to dance and be able to become fitter and healthier through it. Just as with the evolution of the dance itself, so the teaching of it has been evolving.
“We are not imposing a rigid approach and teachers are at liberty to use non-specific gender roles where appropriate when teaching. Anyone can dance with anyone. We are committed to being inclusive and working to ensure children and teachers in Scotland value and enjoy this aspect of our heritage.”
Read more: Scottish country dancing "leads to homophobic school bullying"
Last week, Hugh Torrance, executive director of campaign group Leap Sports Scotland, said LGBT bullying was more common in physical education lessons and dances.
He said: “We still tend to segregate by gender for most experiences in PE so the novelty of bringing all the class together for social dancing on an annual basis creates another layer of what others have called a proving ground for masculinity.
“That can result in hurtful banter and teasing or more explicit bullying of those deemed insufficiently masculine. Taking partners by the hand also leads to discomfort of sniggers or, at worst, explicit remarks.”
Mr Torrance said pupils would deal better with Scottish country dancing if the novelty factor was removed by mixing boys and girls more often in PE.
Euan Duncan, president of the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association said an experienced PE teacher would avoid more gender specific dances and focus on those where large groups of pupils danced together.
Karen McCubbin, general secretary of the Association of Teachers of Physical Education said there was a potential link between the “gender specific” nature of social dance and homophobic bullying.
Read more: Scottish country dancing "leads to homophobic school bullying"
She said: “Do we drop social dance form the curriculum perhaps, or do we shift the way it is taught?
“My preferred option would be to explore the cultural heritage of social dance opening up the debate about why girls and boys would be paired.”
Leap Sport Scotland, a charity which works for greater inclusion of LGBT people in sport, hopes to prepare guidance on social dancing by 2017/18. The RSCDS is dedicated to the promotion of traditional dances and music.
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