Kilted dancers from Excalibur Theatre Arts will soon be off to the highlands of Seattle to represent Prince George.
Six competitors and a number of observers under the coaching of Excalibur boss Bonnie Leach will make the trek to the British Association of Teachers of Dance (BATD) - North American Highland Scholarships from Oct. 3 to 5.
Some have been before. They all tell of coming home with unprecedented knowledge about the history of the ancient Scottish dances they do, and the techniques to perform them better than ever.
"It's stressful, because there is also a written exam you have to do. You do that as soon as you get there," said Breanna Larson. "It's worth the stress because that gets the exam out of the way, you can qualify for next year, and there are 128 other dancers to meet who all have something in common with you."
The big finale is a cilidh (pronounced kay-lee, a traditional Gaelic music party) and dinner at the end, which acts as an artistic culmination and also a grand sendoff for all the competitors and teachers who form bonds over the course of the events.
"Seeing all those other dances who had to qualify first to get there, your jaw just drops. The talent is amazing," said Rebecca Saunderson. "They are so good, you learn just by watching them and being in the room with them. You can learn from just one person, but you've got them all around you."
"You definitely learn a lot from the teachers, they are masters, but you pick up a lot just from all the other girls, too," said Katherine Saunderson.
"The best part, I think, is it gives them a huge burst of inspiration to come home and work even harder, just from being one of those talented dancers in that room, and being considered someone of that caliber," said Leach. "I learn lots, too. I'm taking teachers' classes and receiving my lifetime membership in the BATD this year, for my 25 years as a member teacher, which is special to me. So I come home inspired, too, and wanting to do the best I can to get all my dancers to the next level."
They learn the centuries-old traditional steps that first formed highland dancing as a genre, but there are also noncompetitive versions and cilidh versions to learn just for fun. Each dancer in attendance has to compete in a solo event, plus the written exam that tests their knowledge of the history and technicalities of this uniquely Scottish art form. Teachers, too, have tests and levels to progress through over the years.
Each of the Prince George dancers is between 12 and 18 years of age. The full team of competitors from Excalibur includes: Lauren Cape, Rebecca Saunderson, Morgan Kearns, Katherine Saunderson, Kyrsten Chafe and Breanna Larson.
