Highland Dancing is a great aerobic and development exercise. It is a healthy workout for adults, and for children which develops good coordination, posture and overall muscle tone.

Following are two of the many dances that are taught in Highland.

The Highland Fling is a dance of joy performed at the end of a victorious battle. It is also still used in the British military as an exercise. It should be danced throughout in the same position on the stage because originally the Highland Fling was said to have been done on the shield of the clansman. It has become the classic solo dance at modern competitive dancing events, and is often selected at competitions to decide who will be judged the best Highland dancer of the day.

The Sword Dance or Ghillie Chalium was danced prior to a battle. To kick the swords was considered a bad omen for the battle to come. The soldier would expect to be wounded, and if many of the soldiers kicked the swords chieftain of the clan would expect to lose the battle. One story of the sword dance is that it was first danced by Malcolm Canmore after having defeated one of MacBeth's chiefs at the Battle of Dunsinane in 1054, seized his opponents sword, placing it over his own to form a cross, over which he danced triumphantly to the wild music of the pipes.