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Scottish Dancing
SCOTTISH HIGHLAND DANCING The society is responsible for bring Highland Dancing to Northern Ireland. Following discussions with Mark Wilson the then Director of the Northern Ireland Piping and Drumming School, the Society agreed to apply for a grant of £2000 from the Arts Council for Northern Ireland after which dance classes commenced. A partnership was formed with Brightlights Dance School on the Cregagh Estate in East Belfast and Highland Dance Classes were set up under the tuition of Jean Richie in 1998. Following this success came further Highland Dance classes at The Walkway Community Centre and Sandy Row Community Centre. The Society was successful in 2002 in securing funding from the Arts Council for Northern Ireland and the Ulster-Scots Agency to employ a full-time Highland Dance teacher. This post was taken up by Lindsay Ellis (a Canadian National) to teach in Belfast, Kilkeel and Ballybean. A year later we employed Gillian Jones, who had just qualified as the first Northern Ireland tutor to take her associated exam allowing her to teach Highland Dancing. The Society organised Northern Ireland's first Highland Dance conference which took place on Friday 21st March 2003 at the Quality Hotel, Carrickfergus. This was the first opportunity for Highland Dance delegates from all over Ireland to share ideas and opinions, extend their knowledge and exchange information. The guest speaker was Anna Bain, the current Senior Vice-President of the United Kingdom Alliance Teachers of Dancing. Anna is recognised as one of the foremost teachers and judges of Highland Dancing throughout the world and her presentation was excellent. As a result of this two day seminar was the formation of the Ulster-Scots Dance Alliance with affiliate groups from both Northern and Southern Ireland. The group has recently received funding from The Arts Council for Northern Ireland and The Ulster-Scots Agency to develop Highland Dancing. Over the years the Society has helped nurture this art of dance often working in partnership with groups throughout Northern Ireland. Many teachers have made the long journey from their homes in Scotland in the last few years. These have included the following: Heather Palmer, Laura Gregory, Anna Bain, Misha Dodds, Gareth Mitchelson, Lorretta Mc Laughlin, Wilma Tolmie and Jane Knox. Highland dance groups now exist in Donegall Road, Donegall Pass, Suffolk and Ballysillan in Belfast, and outside Belfast in Ballynahinch, Markethill, Bready, Newry, Kilkeel and Magherafelt. dance classes have been successfully set up in Southern Ireland namely in, Raphoe, Co. Donegal and Newbliss, Co. Monaghan. The Society has recently helped to set up a Highland Dance class at Southcity Resource Centre on Donegall Road with funding received from South Belfast Partnership Board. This class which has regular attendance of 20 children have now formed their own Highland Dance Group. Below is a list of Highland Dance competitions to take place in 2005: Sat 29th Jan
Tues 12th Apr
Sat 28th May
Sat 30st Jul
Wed 10th Aug
Sat 6th Aug
Sat 10th Sept
Sat 17th Sept
| Grosvenor House, Belfast. (02890-321766) John
Portadown Town Hall Thearte P/Down (02837-551409) Hilary
Belvoir Players Studio, Belfast (02890-581053)
Kilkeel Primary School, Kilkeel (02841-769678) Maynard
Memorial Hall, Londonderry (02871-841636) James
Olympia Leisure Centre, Belfast(02890-504849) Alison
Newry Arts Centre (02841-763411) Linda
Grosvenor House Complex, Belfast (02890-321766) John
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