First Scottish Official SI Highland Dancing Comps

18 August 2005
Media Release

First Ever Scottish Official Board Highland Dancing Competitions for the SI

Highland dancers from Australia and New Zealand will compete in the inaugural Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing (SOBHD) competitions and workshop to be held in Christchurch in mid September.

Saturday the 17th of September will see many heading to the polls and hopefully dropping in to the Scottish Hall in Edgeware, where members of the public are welcome.

As well as the competitions and workshop starting at 10am, a concert featuring several different styles of dance will also be presented at the hall from 1230 to 1.30pm with a small $3 entrance charge. Refreshments including hot food will also be available.

Until now there have been no Scottish Official Board (SOB) competitions in the South Island so all local competitors have had to head to the North Island or overseas to compete. One of the NZ premier dancers, Nadia Edwards, (Burnside High School,17 yrs), is part of a special Australasian team which has been invited to by the King of Oman to perform there in November. She was also recently placed 4th overall in the Australian competitions.

The youngest dancer, Ruby Allsop, (Elmwood Normal School, 6 years,), is the first primary dancer to compete from the South Island and has already brought home medals on North Island competitions.

Highland Dancing Association of Canterbury President, Mary-Jo Tohill, is pleased with the response to the competitions.

"We have had excellent interest from a number of North Island dancers aged 5-18 yrs and several in Australia," she says.

The "Spring Festival of Dance" is being held at the Scottish Hall on the corner of Edgeware and Caledonian Roads on the 17 September, from 10am.

Everyone is welcome. If you would like to know more about entering the competitions, please contact Mary-Jo on 0274 897 282 or email mojorising@xtra.co.nz

ENDS

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