Article written by Mary-Jo Tohill - ......... but really "How Scottish are you?" All my life I've been telling people I'm related to Flora Macdonald - yes, the very same that the national dance we do is named after (and yep, she inspired the Skye Boat Song for helping Jacobite Bonnie Prince Charlie flee Scotland after the Battle of Culloden). And now I may have a tiny bit of proof, thanks to the whole ancestry.com craze! My grandmother (Myra Milward Stevens nee Macdonald) was a Macdonald - note the small 'd' - and her grandfather Malcolm was from near Baleshare (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Sear) in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Baleshare lies to the south-west of the island of North Uist. It's those bunch of islands off the western coast of Scotland. Skye is one of the well-known islands of the Inner Hebrides and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Her grandmother was a McKay from Inverness but that's a whole other story... Flora Macdonald was from the island of South Uist, in the Outer Hebrides, in 1722. She was born in the village of Milton. After her father's death, she was brought up under the care of the chief of her clan, the Macdonalds of Clanranald. This is also my clan. My mother (Billie/Myra Jill Tohill nee Stevens) recently did a DNA test, and astonishingly her gene pool origin was very specific to these places in the Uist islands. Look - same nose and eyes as good old Flora! That means I've inherited a fair swag of these genes (and the Viking ones too - there's a big dollop of those). Seriously though, Flora and I although not closely related are likely to have shared some of the same DNA.
I'm inspired enough to do a DNA test - there shouldn't be too many surprises; still it would be interesting to find out how Scottish I really am! There is no doubt equal proportions of English and Irish in there too. Here's how you can find out: Take a DNA test - is one way Look for a genealogical centre. Tip: I'm from the Macdonald clan. A good place to find out information is the Clan Donald Centre in Skye: https://armadalecastle.com/ https://www.isleofskye.com/attractions/visitor-centre/museum-of-the-isles There's heaps of help online - try this site: https://www.discoverresultsfast.com/web?q=free+scottish+genealogy&o=1673447&cid=20708429179&agid=160617088731&utm_source=google&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7Ii6se_WhAMV78E8Ah0kow1ZEAAYAiAAEgKQkvD_BwE&gad_source=1&qo=semQuery&ag=fw10&an=google_s&tt=rmd&ad=semA&akid=drf-20708429179-160617088731 You would need the name of your ancestors your grandparents/great grandparents etc to begin a search, or narrow it down. This could also show where and when they left Scotland, where they ended up etc. We would be really interested to hear your stories which could include:
Your contribution should include:
When you’re in your early 20s, and you’re getting to the end of your competitive career, many dancers choose to hang up their kilt. However, Amy de Bruin of the Lothian Highland Dance Studio in Whangarei wanted to keep dancing. She also wanted to travel. How to combine the two? Mary-Jo Tohill had a chat with to Amy to find out how she did it… Amy, 22, works for a hotel in Wellington, and moved down in 2020 during the pandemic. She studied for a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in tourism and information systems at Victoria university. Like a lot people, particularly the young, their study, interests and travel were disrupted because of Covid-19. For the past three years, Amy has kept up her dancing via zoom lessons. But this year had been particularly tough with shift work, and hard to stay motivated, although she was going to the gym several times a week to keep fit. “Dancing on your own is not a lot of fun and I’d been following several Facebook pages, and came across a tattoo in Belgium. You could audition online. “I’d been planning a trip for three years, so I figured I’d go for it and if I got in or not, I’d still go.” This was with the International Tattoo Highland Dance Team which was going to be performing at the Belgium Tattoo (Internationale Taptoe België) at Ostend in Belgium, Europe. The main choreographer was New Zealander Crystel Benton, who will be a familiar to some people. The audition included a championship step fling, a Seann Truibhas and performing a leap step. Amy got into the team, and was the only kiwi, amongst 32 dancers from around the world, including Australians, Americans, Scots, Canadians and one South African. They did two items, one based on the reel and another choreographed piece. They danced one item in their own kilts, and were supplied costumes that included a mini kilt and leotard top, for the other. The team members got a video to learn the dance about three weeks before the tattoo, and a list of steps, and had one zoom get-together. “When I got there, it was hard to figure out where I was going. We had two days practice to get it right. “I got there on the Thursday. We rehearsed until 8pm-9pm. Then you went to bed, and it was another full day leading up to the show. And then we had two shows. It was an absolute whirlwind. It went so fast. It was held in a stadium, with a concrete floor and stands up the side, but it was covered and being October (the Northern Hemisphere autumn) that was nice.” While the dancers paid their own way to get there and were not paid for their performances, the hotel, food and transport were taken care of by the organisers. “It was so fun. It was definitely go, go, go, and not much time to get sorted. No time for sightseeing but I did get to Bruges (afterwards). But it was the same for everyone. I met some cool dancers, so with 32 dancers, there were some lovely people, so it’s easy to have fun when you’re with good people.” She would definitely do another tattoo and will be keeping an eye out for the next opportunity. The short time period suited her. “I don’t think I could do Edinburgh (tattoo). I think a month would be too much. I think a week of shows would be ideal.”
She had a few things in her favour; an understanding employer who allowed her to take six weeks off to do her trip, her parents, who had always been great supporters, and relatives in the Netherlands. “I went over with a suitcase for my dancing stuff that I dropped off with the rellies, and I kept the backpack.” Apart from looking out for tattoos to do in the next few years, the next thing on her dance horizon is studying for her associate teaching qualification. “I have done some teaching and really enjoyed it. “I'm not in it (dancing) to compete, it’s more social for me, but I want to be in that community.”
“We made the decision to go in August 2022. “Fitness-wise, I did a lot of cross training/pilates/core work, gym classes as well as normal dance classes/competitions. It was ramped up closer to leaving overseas, aiming to do a championship dance through a day and practicing in my kilt.” She would recommend every dancer wear their full kilt when preparing for championships to get accustomed to the look and feel. Encouraged by her results in Australia and feeling good despite the injury, Solai got to Scotland at the beginning of August. Jetlag didn’t affect her too badly, except a motion feeling when dancing. But she was fine after about a week, doing three highland games and three championships leading up to Cowal. She was the only kiwi competing on the circuit.
“We booked Airbnb quite a wee while before we left NZ; it was a bit tricky to get accommodation which suited us especially apartments with a carpark.
“The accommodation for Cowal in Dunoon MUST be booked as soon as you know you are attending the championships as it is hard to find accommodation there. Stirling is a beautiful place with a lot to see and do, although I was dance focused, I found that sightseeing wasn’t my priority.” Nerves were a big hurdle to overcome, and she tried different remedies to deal with them; “stress less oils, listening to music, trying not to overthink things etc, etc.” Other things were more easy to adapt to – the food choices were good, reasonable in price and readily available. School work wasn’t too much of an issue as she’d given her teachers plenty of warning. “I let my school know I was away for nearly six weeks and worked my Year 13 work around this, and they worked with me with what I wanted to achieve.” Morgan had contacts in Scotland so Solai was able to attend private lessons and premier dance classes with her good friend, teacher Danielle Law. “I really enjoyed taking part in the dance lessons and made some friends there. We also hired rooms in local community centres in Leith and the Stirling area which we googled to find and they were great.” Competing in Scotland was “a life changing experience”. “I had to be more resilient, adapt to different scenarios quite quickly and I made some really great connections and friendships. I definitely could not have done it all without Morgan. “I unfortunately travelled with a foot injury and feel proud of myself for pushing through, competing and also achieving amazing placings and judges points at all competitions. “My greatest achievement was dancing on the Cowal stage which was a life dream – what an experience that was. “It was a time of personal growth, and very challenging. “I’d love to go back overseas to dance when I’m ready. It’s a little too soon at the moment. “I am sorting my foot injury out and looking forward to competing in 2024. Some exciting opportunities have arisen from my travels which will soon be announced.” Her advice to anyone else hoping to go over and compete: “Take it all in.” At our recent AGM Judy Clark was presented with Life Membership for her services to our organisation - pictured here with Christine Burgoyne (Vice Present) and Mark Forshaw (President)
Read about Thistle highland dancing student Nathan and his successes...
It has been a busy couple of months for one of our dancers. Nathan travelled to the Grand Australasian Championships held in Sydney in June 2022 where he won the restricted premier group for Scottish Nationals. He then travelled to Gosford in July to the International Championships. On the first day he placed in all his Highland dances and was the winner of the restricted jig and hornpipe title. On the second day he was the highest placed restricted and 6th overall in the 15 years championship. We also had Kathryn who danced in her very first competition at Gosford and she placed in her hornpipe. Nathan then travelled to Scotland where he placed 4th overall at the British Overseas Championship, placed in three dances in Stirling and Crieff and then it was off to Cowal for the Worlds. Dancers from Morgan B School of Dance in New Plymouth travelled to Gosford, Australia for the International Highland Dancing Championships in July. Here are their awesome results below:
Solai - International Champion 16 years Madison - 4th overall International Championship 14 years McKenna - 6th overall 11 years International Championship Ella - most points restricted dancer 17 years International Championship Hunter - restricted jig and hornpipe title Portia - 15 years Pre Championship winner Madison - 14 years Pre Championship winner Sarah de Bruin, Devon Mokaraka and Shannon Vesey have recently returned from the Basel Tattoo, Switzerland, where they performed as part of the 49 strong International team of Highland Dancers, under the direction of Cheryl Roach, Stephanie Julliard and Rachael McLagan. The Basel Tattoo is recognised as being the second largest Tattoo in the world and this year included a cast of 1000 performers. The girls began their tattoo experience with 3 days of rehearsals, dancing from 9am till 6pm, perfecting the choreography, followed by full cast and dress rehearsals. They then went on to perform 11 shows over 9 days in the historical barracks in Basel, on the banks of the Rhine river. As part of the team, they were also involved in a parade through the city of Basel with the rest of the tattoo cast, and a Children’ s Day event. They also enjoyed day trips to the St Beatus Caves, Lake Lucerne, Stoos and Fronalpstock, getting to see some of the beautiful Swiss views. They performed 3 dances each night along with the finale. There was a Greek number accompanying the Hellenic Navy Band, a Scottish act with the Massed Pipes and Drums and the main dance item, called Celtic Fire, with music played live by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and they formed lots of new friendships with other dancers from Australia, South Africa, Canada and Scotland. Videos of the performances can be found on the “Basel Tattoo International Dance Team” Facebook page. Written by Sarah de Bruin Some lovely photos sent in by Miss Tutu's School of Dance of their dancers with new competition jackets. These were made by the Highland Dancer in Scotland!
Congratulations to the two recipients of the 2019 ScotDance New Zealand scholarships! The 2019 scholarships are to assist dancers in competing in a championship in New Zealand. These were assessed by Miss Kim Roe this year. At the New Zealand Championships in New Plymouth over the weekend an official presentation for the two successful dancers was held. The winners are Solai Erhorn (under 14 years) - Morgan B School and Amy de Bruin (14 years and over) - Lothian Studio. Amy de Bruin and Solai Erhorn
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March 2024
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