Dance and Music Reviews : Scottish Highlanders March Into Anaheim

Scotophiles from hither and yon came to the Anaheim Convention Center Saturday to watch the 90 bonnie laddies of The Black Watch and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders perform as part of their 250th Anniversary North American tour.

While the music was standard parade fare, unremarkable in this acoustically dismal setting, and there was only a soupcon of dance, there certainly was pomp aplenty.

Musicians dressed in kilts and military finery paraded around the drab orange and concrete interior in precise circle and line formations, the pipers and drummers taking turns with and sometimes joining the regimental bands. The 2 1/2 hours of march medleys included such war horses as “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” and tunes by Kenneth J. Alford (the Brit’s Sousa).

Three times during the program, the regimental dancers took the spotlight to perform the Sword Dance, the well-known Highland Fling and the Lochaber Broadswords. Most charming was the contrast between the inscrutable countenances of the rosy-cheeked lads and their jaunty, seemingly lighthearted, cat steps.

But while a hefty dose of U.S. military tunes brought the crowd dutifully to its feet, the program could have done with less of such pandering and more of the more intricately arranged native music. The troupe is reported to substitute “The Maple Leaf Forever” on the Canadian leg of the tour.

Performances were also given in Pasadena and at Pauley Pavilion at UCLA on Sunday.