Highland dance championships set for Pictou stage
Dancers and organizers are busy preparing for the 3rd Annual Ship Hector Heritage Championship and the 39th Annual Debbie Robson Memorial Highland Dance Competitions to be held on March 4th and 5th.
The event has over 220 dancers registered, with most of them from Maritimes but a few from Ontario as well. The three judges are from Quebec, Ontario and Alberta.
The Ship Hector Championship takes place on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. and features the highland dances – the Fling, Sword dance, Sean Truibhas, and the Reel. Dancers under the age of 14 will compete in the morning, and those dancers 14 years and over will dance in the afternoon starting at 12:30 p.m. Awards will be presented at approximately 3:30 p.m. The Jeana English Memorial Award will be given to the Pictou County premier dancer of the day.
The Debbie Robson Memorial starts on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. with the intermediate level competitors dancing the Fling, Highland Laddie, Barracks and Sailors Hornpipe, and the premier dancers competing in the Village Maid, Blue Bonnets, Flora and Sailors Hornpipe. Both intermediate and premier dancers will then compete in the special event Jeana’s Jig. The afternoon portion of the Debbie Robson Memorial gets underway at 1 p.m. with the primary groups competing in Pas de Bas, Pas de Bas & Highcuts, Fling and Sword. Beginner and novice dancers will compete in the Lilt, Fling, Sword and Sean Truibhas. The Pictou County Highland Dance Association Pre-Premier Dancer of the Day award will be presented to the best overall pre-premier dancer from Pictou County and the Debbier Robson Memorial Plaque will be awarded to the top premier dancer from Pictou County.
Jeana English was an accomplished Highland dancer from Pictou who passed away in October 2015 at the age of 13. Debbie Robson was a well-known Highland Dance teacher from Stellarton, who was tragically killed in car accident in July 1978. This competition lives on through some of Robson’s own students, students now competing or preparing for the competition.
The competitions will be taking place at Pictou Elementary School. Doors open at 8:15 a.m. each morning and the public is invited to come watch this weekend of great dancing. Admission is $5 and there will be a canteen on site selling snacks and drinks.