CDPA dancers win big at Scottish Highland competition

Three Scottish Highland dancers from Centre for Dance & the Performing Arts attended the ScotDanceUSA Championship Competition Series in Portland, Oregon.

Two of these dancers, Allison Williams (Trinity Preparatory) and Natasha du Toit (West Orange High School), were representatives of the Southeast region for the elite National Championships, which host the top 100 dancers in the nation. Adult dancer Tanis Montgomery traveled to compete in the events prior to and following the championships and received award recognition in her events.

Williams, who is the current champion in the Southeast for the 14-&-under-16 age group, placed fifth runner-up in the Premiership events and placed sixth in two of her dances in the National Championships. In the Premiership, du Toit placed sixth in her Irish Jig and received Judges points in a dance called the Blue Bonnets o’er the Border.

Du Toit, second runner-up in her region for the 16-&-under-18 age group, also placed well with two second-place awards and two sixth-place awards in the PreChampionship events.

Williams competed in the North American Championships, as well, which includes dancers from Canada, Scotland and Australia, and received judges points in three of the four dances.

A highlight of the weekend was that both Williams and du Toit placed fourth overall in the Solo Choreographies, each representing a different age group.

The owner of the Centre for Dance & the Performing Arts, Dr. Kathryn White Austin brought Highland dancing to West Orange County in 1990 with the opening of her studio, which now is in Oakland. From the mid-1970s through the early 1990s, Austin competed throughout the southern United States and Canada, earning many top awards and representing the Southeast region in the National Championships in 1988.

Her real interest was in the teaching of Scottish dance, and when she opened her studio in August of 1990, Scottish Highland Dance became a staple in the school’s offerings. Austin is a life member and Fellow of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing and actively involved in leadership roles in ScotDance USA.

For information on Scottish Highland Dancing, email [email protected].