Having a fling with highland dancing

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/06/2002 (8694 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONG before there was the Lord of the Dance, there was the Manitoba Highland Dancers’ Association.

This hard-working group has been sweating it out behind the scenes for years, dedicating themselves to promoting the art form and providing competitive arenas for Manitoba dancers.

“In my mind, this is a sport. It requires quite a bit of stamina and leg muscle strength,” said association chair Margie Reis, a north end resident. “It keeps you in shape and keeps your mind trained.”

Reis’ involvement in the association is no accident. She was a highland dancer in her youth for over ten years. Although she hung up her kilt long ago, the love of the dance never left her.

“I got my nine year old daughter involved, and the association was always looking for parents who know how the competitions work,” she recalled. “I volunteered to help out, and now I’ve been on the board for five years!”

The association started back in 1947, and celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1997. All of the ten Highland dancing schools in Winnipeg are members, Reis said.

When financially possible, the association offers scholarships to encourage further study of highland dancing and to assist dancers with their travelling expenses to out-of-province competitions.

Dancers from Manitoba have competed successfully at competitions across Canada, the U.S., and Scotland, including the World Championships in Cowl, Scotland.

“These kids travel all over the place, and they like to compete in front of people,” said Reis. “Competing in highland dancing creates a structured, disciplined environment for a child. It’s fun, but they have to be committed dancers.”

As well as competing, the dancers keep active throughout the year in their entertaining program which includes doing guest appearances on television, dancing demonstrations and performances at benefit shows, senior citizens’ homes, hospitals, conventions, festivals, banquets, football games and Folklorama at the Scottish Pavilion.

The dancers range in age from 3 to 27.

“They can start at any age, but just as in gymnastics and figure skating, the younger the better,” Reis said. “The teachers we have in Winnipeg are really, really talented. As long as you’ve got rhythm and can point your feet, they can teach you to dance.”

It takes about a year for a dancer to learn enough to feel comfortable competing. Both boys and girls from all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to join.

“Boys make the best dancers, because they have great leg strength,” said Reis. “One of the goals of the association is to maintain Scottish heritage and culture, but we welcome people from all backgrounds to join us.”

The association is currently searching for volunteers willing to help out with the upcoming Scottish Dance Canada Championships. Winnipeg will be hosting this event in 2004.

“Dancers from all over the country will be coming to compete, and organizing this event is quite the process,” Reis said. “We’ve hosted it twice before, but haven’t for quite some time.”

If you’d like more information on the association, how to find highland dance schools in your area, or would like to volunteer, you can contact them at 989-3479 or send an e-mail to them at manitoba highland dancers@hotmail.com.

You can also see the dancers in action all day long on June 30 at the Mid Canada Open Championship, at the centre canopy in the Forks Market.