Receiving the certificate for a successfully completed teaching exam brought back memories of a recent trip to Scotland for a local Highland dance instructer.
Mackenna Telfer was in Scotland in July to compete at the Luss Highland Games, bringing home a second place finish in her category.
The day prior to the competition, the instructor at the Telfer School of Highland Dance in Dauphin passed the exam for her Highland National teaching credentials.
“I had taken the first exam to be qualified when I was 16,” Telfer said, referring to her Associates Highland teaching credentials.
“And then I took the additional exam in Scotland and I passed it. So I have the second credentials.
“I didn’t need to take the exam. I could have still been a credible dance teacher with my Associates Highland, but I took the additional exam just because I could.”
While proud of that accomplishment, the highlight of the trip for Telfer was competing in a Highland dance competition in the Highlands.
“It’s kind of cool just to compete in Scotland,” Telfer said.
“The mountains were in the background right beside the stage. It was just beautiful scenery. So it just felt good being on the stage.”
Telfer said the setting definitely added to her performance, as she is used to competing in gymnasiums and community halls here in Canada.
“But here you have, a small Scottish community with the mountains in the background. It definitely feels a lot cooler when you’re dancing.”
The first Luss Highland Gathering was held in 1875 and has been held annually since, except for a break during the two World Wars.
Throughout the years the gathering has remained relatively unchanged with competitions in caber tossing, hammer throwing, hill races, piping, Highland dancing and much more.
Telfer competed in the Premier category.
“There were four of us in my premier category and I was the youngest one. I was 17 and I think the next person close to my age was probably close to 30 and then the oldest person in the category was in their 50s,” Telfer said
“There was two of us from Canada. There was one woman from America, from the States, and there was a man in the category who was from Scotland. He was from the area.
“It was a decent sized competition.”
The experience went even deeper when Telfer teamed up with a local highland dance school to perform at the World Skiffies, an international rowing competition, which included Team Canada.
“Team Canada was there for the World Skiffies and they came and watched us dance (at the Luss Gathering) because we had a bunch of Canadian dancers dancing there,” Telfer said.
“And we collaborated with the Highland dance school from that hometown - which is actually where my dance teacher grew up - because we were invited to perform at the opening ceremony.”
For Telfer, the trip will remain a happy memory and an experience she can share with her young students here at home.
