We parked car and eagerly approached door of Largoward Hall on a light, midsummer Saturday night in June, 1997. It had been ten months since we left Scotland after spending a year there, and I wondered who we would see and if we would still be able to do we had learned. We were a little late, and music had already begun. We could see swirl of dancing couples through crack between doors, and we waited until music stopped before entering to pay our admission at little table just inside door The hall was busy as I glanced around and started to recognize familiar faces; band started playing again, but no one got up to dance. Then I realized they were playing a song, and people were smiling at us and singing: Come in, come in, it's nice tae see ye you're welcome here. . Master of Ceremonies Bob Grier had spotted our entry and prompted band to give us a musical welcome. As we made our way up to Bob, people greeted us with hellos and fine tae see ye back again and long are ye for? Our welcome home to Largoward was a welcome back to a community of dancers at this village hall in Fife. What draws folk to the dancing? Why do people come to dance at venues such as this? How does dance provide a locus of, an impetus toward, or an expression of community? In this paper I examine how communities are formed through dance, how these communities help to define dance and music traditions in Scotland, and how dancing creates an experience of individual and collective connectedness. STUDYING DANCING IN SCOTLAND The Scottish Traditions of Dance Trust, founded in 1995 to research, conserve, foster, and promote dance, deliberately uses plural form-- traditions-to draw attention to multiplicity of dance forms and dance communities in Scotland. Some are defined by region, others by style; some are social, others competitive.1 Dance events include classes devoted to various kinds of dance, exhibitions of dancing, and competitions, including summer Highland Games, where solo dancers compete for medals and certificates. In this paper, I look at regular social held in halls in villages and towns in county of Fife throughout year, but particularly in winter season from September to May, which bring people together for an evening of recreation and social exchange. Some of these are classes sponsored by Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS) or local clubs, some are run by individuals or groups of enthusiasts, and others are occasional organized as fund-raising events for charities or institutions. The social that occur at these kinds of events fall into three main types. First, couple are performed by partners who inscribe a series of movements around room in a counterclockwise manner. Most often, these movements are performed in same sequence by all dancing couples simultaneously, but in one case, Quickstep, partners dance their own sequence of steps individually. Second, set are danced by four couples in either longways or square formation. Longways set are also called country dances and take form of four women facing four men in lines, partners standing opposite one another to begin and each couple dancing a series of figures as top or active couple in set with other couples. Square formation were introduced in late nineteenth century and include various pan-European called Quadrilles and Lancers as well as Eightsome Reel, created in Scotland circa 1875. In square sets, a series of figures is danced, with lead moving from couple to couple in square. Third, miscellaneous forms are found in a small number of dances. These include trios of dancers performing a sequence of figures, couples or trios who face one another in small sets and progress either clockwise or counter-clockwise around room after each repetition of dance figures, and short lines of three to seven dancers who dance figures in sequence while progressing around room. …