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Pronounced “Shawn Trewes”, it is believed that this dance was created after the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Led by Charles Edward Stuart (more devotedly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie), the uprising was a success in the beginning. However because of the lack of support French military support, the Jacobite army retreated back to the Highlands where they were defeated in 1746 at Culloden Moor.
After the Battle of Culloden, the government dismantled the Scottish Clan system and tried to weaken Scottish culture by forbidding kilts, plaid, and pipes, resulting in the Act of Proscription. This leads to the meaning of the name of the dance, which is Gaelic for “Old Trousers.” The first part of the dance has movements portraying the Scots trying to shake off the dreaded trews. However, it then changes tempo and this is thought to represent the Highlander’s happiness of regaining their kilts after the Act of Proscription was abolished in 1783.