North Island highland dancers Abigail McCorquodale and Kaia Mackay took to the stage in London, Ontario July 6 – 10 to compete against some of the best dancers in the world at the Scotdance Canada Championship Series 2015.
This annual event is hosted in different locations across Canada, and is the largest highland dancing competition in the world, with over 900 dancers competing this year.
Kaia Mackay of Port McNeill danced in the Beginner 8 & 9 years group and placed 4th in the Half Hullachan.
Abigail McCorquodale of Port Hardy competed in the Premier 10 years open group over three days of competition: Highland, Premiership, and the Scotdance Canada Open Championship. This group includes provincial representatives from across Canada and some of the best dancers from Scotland.
In the Highland competition McCorquodale won 6th place in the Half Hullachan. In the Premiership she achieved a 5th place in the Scotch Measure.
In the final day of Competition, in the Scotdance Canada Open Championship 10 years, McCorquodale placed 3rd in the Highland Fling, 6th in the Sword, and 5th in the Seann Truibhas for an overall placing of 3rd Runner Up in the Championship.
Teacher Teresa Charlton, the principal of Team Charlton Highland Dancers, noted the magnitude of this placing.
“This is a huge accomplishment for this dedicated young dancer and for our dance studio. It shows that dancers from the Northern Vancouver Island can compete on a national and international stage.”
Last year McCorquodale placed 5th Runner up overall in the Scotdance Canada Canadian Championships which were held in Richmond, BC.
“It is definitely a lot of hard work,” said McCorquodale, a Grade 5 Eagle View Elementary School student.
“It’s a huge part of my life. I go to classes and practice every day all year,” McCorquodale also takes ballet classes from Portside Academy in Port McNeill.
As if this wasn’t enough excitement for the young dancer, McCorquodale travelled directly from the Scotdance Canada Championship Series to the Northern US Open Championships in Washington July 11, and won the overall 10 & 11 years Championship with straight first place finishes in the four championship dances.
This win marked another important North Island accomplishment, as it was the first time that a local dancer has won a Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing official championship title.
The Mt. Waddington Highland Dancing Association is hosting their annual local competition in Port McNeill on Oct. 17.
