Highland Dancing Championship (RSOBHD) — Highland Dancing Grades From Primary to Premier, With 14 Dances and Marks Out of 100, Set Up in Minutes

Cultural & Folk Festival · Europe

Highland dancing under RSOBHD rules, with Primary through Premier grades covering the Highland and National dances.

Sets up a graded Highland dancing championship: five progression grades from Primary to Premier, the four Highland dances plus the National dances, and a mark out of 100 per dance split into timing, technique and deportment.

This template builds a Highland dancing championship in the Scottish competitive tradition. A coordinator opens an event that already holds the five grades, the fourteen dances and the placing points, instead of starting from a blank catalogue. It suits dance schools, festivals and Highland gatherings that run graded solo dancing contests with a panel of judges.

The structure follows grades, not ages. A dancer enters Primary, Beginners, Novice, Intermediate or Premier and moves up by placing first, second or third in six separate competitions at that grade. Only Primary has an age cap: a dancer under seven may stay there until their seventh birthday, then becomes a Beginner. Primary is limited to four dances (Pas de Basque, Pas de Basque and High Cuts, Highland Fling and Sword Dance), while the four upper grades each carry twelve: the four Highland dances, Highland Fling, Sword Dance, Seann Triubhas and Strathspey and Reel of Tulloch, together with the National dances such as Jig, Sailor’s Hornpipe, Scottish Lilt, Village Maid and Earl of Errol.

Every entry is an individual dancer, open to both genders and not tied to a language. Each judge gives up to 100 marks per dance, divided as 10 for timing, 80 for technique and 10 for general deportment. Championships give six clear placings, and the template carries first to sixth place points of 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1. The published rules print no time limit or fee, so the ten-minute ceiling and zero fee are working defaults for the organiser to change.

To run it, open the Registration Page for entries and grades, add your judges, and let the tabulation produce a ranked result per dance and grade. Age groups inside each grade are set by the organiser, and the upper grades are open to ages seven and over. Remember that Primary should not award trophies; the template models placings only, so leave prizes out of that grade.

Where this event comes from

Highland dancing grew out of Scottish games and gatherings, where solo dancing was judged alongside piping, and its competitive grades and dance list were later formalised by governing boards.

Where this event is run

Scotland, where it began, and the Scottish dancing communities of Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as dance schools and Highland games that run graded solo dancing. It is a poor fit for group or team dance contests, because every entry here is a solo dancer.

• Scotland
• Canada
• United States
• Australia and New Zealand
• Wherever Scottish dance schools and Highland games are held

Key facts

• Five progression grades: Primary, Beginners, Novice, Intermediate and Premier, advanced by placing in six competitions at the grade, not by age
• 14 dances: Primary dances 4, each of the four upper grades dances 12
• Primary is capped by age (under 7) and awards no trophies; the other grades are open to ages 7 and over
• 100 marks per dance: timing 10, technique 80 and general deportment 10
• Six clear placings per class, with 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 placing points
• All entries are solo dancers, open to both genders; ten-minute limit and zero fee are working defaults

Age groups

5

Competition items

14

Competitions

52

Grade bands

0

Rank awards

6

Age groups

Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.

Primary

4From

–

6To

Candidates aged 4 to 6 compete in this group

Beginners

7From

–

99To

Candidates aged 7 to 99 compete in this group

Novice

7From

–

99To

Candidates aged 7 to 99 compete in this group

Intermediate

7From

–

99To

Candidates aged 7 to 99 compete in this group

Premier

7From

–

99To

Candidates aged 7 to 99 compete in this group

Competition items

The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.

Pas de Basque

On StageMarks

Pas de Basque and High Cuts

On StageMarks

Highland Fling

On StageMarks

Sword Dance (Ghille Callum)

On StageMarks

Seann Triubhas

On StageMarks

Strathspey and Reel of Tulloch

On StageMarks

Jig

On StageMarks

Sailor's Hornpipe

On StageMarks

Flora MacDonald's Fancy

On StageMarks

Scottish Lilt

On StageMarks

Blue Bonnets Over the Border

On StageMarks

Village Maid

On StageMarks

Scotch Measure

On StageMarks

Earl of Errol

On StageMarks

Frequently asked questions

Can I change this template after installing it?

Yes — installing it creates a fully configured, live event, not a locked package. Every age group, competition item, rule and scoring setting can be edited afterwards to match exactly what your event actually needs.

Do I need technical knowledge to set this up?

No. Installing a template does the setup work for you; you only need to review the details (dates, unit or house names) and open registration.

Want the fuller picture first? See our guide to folk dance judging criteria guide.