Mention 'Scotland' and 'dance' in the same breath and for many, you'll immediately conjure up mental pictures of swinging kilts, the 'Highland Fling' and even crossed swords (danced over on the floor, that is!). But these aren't just cliches: since the 18th century, dance has always had an important place at all levels of Scottish society and even today, it is still very much a living tradition, whether in the exhuberant freeform of the local ceilidh, the more structured and graceful sets of the Scottish country dancers, or the balletic precision of the solo Highland dancers.

While such traditional forms of dance are uniquely Scottish, they are known and loved throughout the world, having been carried everywhere that the ex-pat Scot settled. And whether they've been adapted locally or remain pure to their source, they all retain the infectious enthusiasm and sociability that draws people from all backgrounds and walks of life. This explains, for example, why the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society has branches across the globe from Aberdeen to Adelaide, Capetown to Chicago, and from Tokyo to Toronto!

Yet, as an art form, dance in Scotland has another thriving strand. The country also boasts its own national ballet company and a variety of professional modern dance troupes who blend and adapt wide-ranging international influences for a distinctively Scottish idiom. The importance of dance as an artform in Scotland was underlined in 2001 with the opening of the National Centre for Dance, Dance Base. This £7m state-of-the-art studio complex in Edinburgh's Grassmarket will provide both the facilities and inspiration for new generations of dancers of all styles.

So whether your preference is for the traditional or the contemporary, or is to be a participant or a spectator, there's always something on offer to set your feet tapping.