Culture Minister Linda Fabiani was yesterday given a preview of a new Scottish country dance which will be performed at a Celtic festival.
Tourism chiefs from VisitScotland worked with the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society to choreograph the measure.
It will be showcased at the Festival Interceltique, to be held in Lorient in Brittany. Organisers have made the theme of the 2007 event the Year of Scotland, with 700,000 visitors expected to experience the best of Scottish culture next month.
The Scottish Executive has provided £286,000 to support the Year of Scotland, with the festival also featuring a special Scottish pavilion showcasing the country's cuisine, music and fashion, as well as its golfing heritage.
Ms Fabiani, the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, visited dancers in Edinburgh yesterday for a preview of the new dance.
She said: "I am thrilled to support the Year of Scotland at Lorient 2007 - it is a wonderful celebration of our thriving cultural scene.
"Scotland has strong links with Brittany. We are proud of our ancient and common Celtic heritage, which continues to flourish and provide entertainment and enjoyment to many.
"I look forward to visiting the festival this summer to strengthen and deepen our Celtic bonds still further. This year's programme is a reflection of Scotland's rich cultural identity and I hope it will encourage people to come and experience Scotland for themselves."
Choreographer Ian Brockbank has revised a traditional Scottish reel to come up with the new dance, called A Trip to Lorient. He said: "It's a great honour to be asked to come up with a new dance for the Interceltique Festival and I can't wait to get up on stage and show the crowds what a great dancing nation Scotland is."
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