A lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland; also, the music to the dance; -- often called Scotch reel.

An Irish dance tune type played briskly in 4/4 time. Originated in Scotland.

music composed for dancing a reel

a lively dance of Scottish highlanders; marked by circular moves and gliding steps

an American country dance which starts with the couples facing each other in two lines

a dance tune and should be played at a lively tempo

a dance tune, played with a lively, upbeat tempo

a traditional style of dance that is performed with four dancers in a line

Moderately quick dance in duple meter danced throughout the British Isles; the most popular Irish traditional dance type.

The reel originated around 1750 in Scotland and the Irish dance masters brought it to full development. The music is 4/4 time and it is danced at a relatively fast tempo (ONE-two-three-four). Both men and women dance the reel. For women, it is a light, rapid soft shoe dance that allows for plenty of leaping and demands an energetic performance from the dancer. Men often dance the reel in what appears to be hard shoes without the toe tap up front. Often a feis will include a special competition in the treble reel. Here, dancers in a single line dance right and left leg. Some separate out age groups, some combine the age groups into one competition. Usually, audiences are extremely enthusiastic in their appreciation for this exciting performance.

The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. In Scottish country dancing, the reel is one of the four traditional dances, the others being the jig, the strathspey and the waltz, and is also the name of a dance figure (see below).