The schottische (German for 'Scottish') is a partnered country dance that apparently originated in Bohemia.^{[citation needed]} It was popular in Victorian-era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina and Paraguay (chotis^{Spanish Wikipedia} and chamamé), Finland (jenkka), France, Italy, Norway ("reinlender [no]"), Portugal and Brazil (xote, chotiça [pt]), Spain (chotis), Sweden, Denmark (schottis), Mexico (norteño music), The Philippines (Chotis, Escotis), and the United States, among other nations. The schottische is considered by The Oxford Companion to Music to be a kind of slower polka, with continental-European origin.

The schottische basic step is made up of two sidesteps to the left and right, followed by a turn in four steps. In some countries, the sidesteps and turn are replaced by strathspey hopping steps.

Schottisches danced in Europe (in the context of balfolk), where they originated, are different from how they are danced in the United States. The European or Continental version (often pronounced "skoteesh"), is typically danced to faster music and is quite restrained in its movements. The American version (often pronounced "shodish") is often large and open, with a slower tempo than the European schottische. The first part is often expressed equally as promenades, individual or led twirls or similar moves, and the second part is most often expressed as a close pivot.

In Argentina, the schottische was introduced by Volga German immigrants (now usually called "chotis") and also evolved and mixed into chamamé, an Argentine folk music genre.

In Brazil, the xote has largely developed in the north-eastern area, especially the Sertão, where it has created variations such as baião and arrasta-pé, which are usually grouped in the forró denomination. All of these rhythms are typically danced in pairs, being xote the slower and simpler style of dancing, in which the couple alternate left-left-hop-right-right-hop steps.

In the Czech Republic, the dance was also known as šotyš. It is danced in its more traditional folk variants as an exhibition dance, and also in the balfolk scene.

In Finland the dance is generally known as a jenkka. In general, it is faster in tempo than the Norwegian reinlender and Swedish schottis.

The scottische was introduced in France in the 1850s. It rapidly disseminated from the salons to the countryside, becoming one of the most popular folk dances. It is one of the most common dance found in balfolk.