When the sound of bagpipes fills the air and colorful maps of Scotland decorate the walls, it may be time for Scottish Country Dancing.

Every Monday night, ISU students and Ames residents gather on campus to learn jigs and reels for various Scottish Country Dances.

“Scottish Country Dancing [SCD] is social dancing,” said Holly Fuchs, instructor for the class. “Couples dance with a ‘set’ number of other couples using five basic steps to evocative Scottish music.”

SCD is reminiscent of square dancing because it requires concentration and practice, but despite the dedication necessary to master the steps, dancers have a good time, Fuchs said.

“Some parts of SCD are difficult because every skill builds on another,” said freshman Jared Brus, class member. “But you can get so wrapped up in it until everything just flows. There’s a spirit that gets inside of you. I really enjoy it.”

Brus is the youngest regular member in the Monday night class. Students range in age from the late teens to mid-60s, but people of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to attend.

Ann Rohovit, an Ames resident who has been in the class for two years, was just looking for a good way to keep in shape when a friend suggested SCD.

“I am Scottish, but I didn’t realize how much it had influenced my life until I became involved in this class,” Rohovit said. “I have no previous dance experience, but I enjoy this. I like celebrating my heritage.”

SCD classes began in Ames at the Octagon Center for the Arts in 1989. A few years later they were held on campus as well. Gayle Hoepner, instructor and organizer of the first class in Ames, said she became a “hardcore” dancer in the early 80s.

SCD has a history dating back to the 1700s and is actively practiced in Iowa and throughout the country. The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society was founded in 1923 to preserve the dance form.

There are now more than 300,000 Scottish country dancers world-wide, Fuchs said, but participation here can be sparse.

“[SCD instructors] have a common problem of not having many people show up,” Fuchs said. “I’d like to see people more actively involved throughout the year.”

Fuchs said attendance usually drops off in December and the winter, but she said she hopes to remedy that. Classes are designed to prepare participants for the annual SCD ball which will be held in the Memorial Union in May. Hoepner said people come from all over the Midwest to dance at the ball. No partners or experience are necessary to join the free SCD classes.

Classes are held Monday nights in the P.E. building at 7:15 p.m., as well as 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday nights in the Octagon Center, 427 Douglas Ave.