Highland dancers from all over the world go to compete in Halifax
Nearly a thousand dancers from around the world are in Halifax this week for the 2023 ScotDance Canada Championship Series.
The opening ceremony took place at the Halifax Convention Center on Sunday. The competition starts Monday and runs through Thursday.
The Canadian Highland Dance Championships are part of the event and will be held on Tuesday.
Event president Jennifer Worthen says it’s great to host the event in Halifax because of the maritime connection to Scottish culture.
“This is a very important year because it marks the 250th anniversary of the landing of the ship Hector,” she said. “It has brought a lot of Scottish culture to this area.”
The Hector is known as part of the first major migration of Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773.
It is the first time Halifax has hosted the ScotDance Canada Championship since 1991.
Worthen said the dancers got really excited while warming up for the opening ceremony.
“My mom was a Highland dancer and I went to a concert and I saw people dancing and I thought, ‘I want to dance like this,'” said 12-year-old Maelle Naime, who is from Lower Sackville, NS
She says she’s been dancing since she was four and has competed all over the country. “My favorite part is the friends you make while you’re dancing,” Naime said.
She said that’s especially true at events like ScotDance, because you make friends all over the place. “So you don’t get to see them if you’re not dancing.”
