The peels of the bagpipes will soon be echoing off the snow covered hills of Prince George. On Saturday a new book opens on local Scottish pride and calls all clans, Scot or not, to come enjoy the Celtic culture's ancient form of dance.
Excalibur Performers Association is launching the first Reel North Highland Dance Competition, an event they intend to make an annual feature for the city.
"Reel North was created to bring our children together to celebrate their love of highland dance," said Excalibur leader Bonnie Leach. "The summer months are generally when there are a lot of competitions, so we thought it would be great to give them an opportunity to showcase their talents in the winter months."
The date of competition was chosen quite deliberately. All day long you can expect to see the odd kilt and hear the odd recitation of Scottish poetry thereabouts on the street. Ours is a city with a longstanding kinship to Robbie Burns Day, due to the large population with some kind of heritage connection back to Scotland.
Burns (1759 - 1796) is widely regarded now as Scotland's favourite historical figure. His poetry and other writings have spanned the gap of time and still ignites the highland heart. In his day he was a cultural force in the realms of writing and politics as he lobbied for Scottish nationalism and championed causes like slavery abolition.
Burns was born on January 25 and celebrations are held around the world on the Saturday nearest that date.
"Holding this competition on Robbie Burns weekend just seemed appropriate," said Leach. "With the Reel North event during the day on Saturday, performing at Robbie Burns night on Saturday night, and workshops with our judge Ross Armour at Excalibur on Sunday, it is truly a highland weekend, and a celebration of our Scottish culture."
The Reel North event was a joint effort. Excalibur partnered with another local company, Dance Your Hart Out, to build the event. It is open to all who love highland dancing.
"Highland, the national dance form of Scotland, is a highly competitive and technical discipline requiring years of training and hundreds of hours of practice," Leach said. "It is a hugely popular form of dance studied across the globe by students of all ages. Over the course of a season, Prince George highland dancers strive to perfect their art form, preparing for local and out-of-town competitions. Wanting nothing more than to dance, talented individuals volunteer their time to perform at events and functions throughout the city, enjoying every opportunity to showcase their passion."
Leach said it was staggering to experience the level of community support she and the other volunteer organizers got from the general community. Businesses were eager to become sponsors, "which has exceeded our expectations. It is wonderful to see so many local businesses willing to support highland dance and the kids who love it so much."
All the Reel North events take place at the Civic Centre starting at 10 a.m. Saturday and scheduled to end at 4 p.m. The competition is open to dancers of any experience level, aged 5 to 25.
Admission to the event is $5 general seating, $2 for students / seniors and free for kids aged 6 and younger.
