Dancing for victory

The story of a group of Scottish soldiers creating the dance The Reel of the 51st Division whilst incarcerated in a German Prisoner of War camp during World War Two is one of defiance and hope.

Though already well-known within Scottish country dance circles, not so often mentioned is the tale of the missing tune, the dance’s debut at a grand Halloween Ball, or how integral Mary Hamilton Hunter was to developing the dance and teaching it to others.

Curated by the RSCDS (a collaboration between our in-house team and the RSCDS Archivist), as part of the BBC #DancePassion project, we worked with the BBC Rewind Team to create this visually exciting re-telling of the story, complete with a how-to video and film of the reel being danced at The Newcastle Festival this year - discover a new perspective on this unique dance!

If you have any questions about the story please contact Katherine Butler or Alan Macpherson for information.