A young Barrhead dancer has a chance to represent Alberta following her recent provincial championship.
Brenna Bourgeois, 11, who won highland dancing gold in the 10 and under 12 category, May 5 in Red Deer, heads to Calgary this summer for ScotDance Canada Championship Series June 29 to July 4.
Her mom, Jill, said she was proud of her daughter's provincial victory.
Highland dancing is a style of competitive solo dancing developed in the Scottish Highlands in the 19th and 20th centuries. It requires technique, stamina and strength and is a form of solo step dancing, requiring dancers to do so on the balls of their feet. An affiliated member of the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing since 1990, ScotDance Canada was formed in 1987 with the aim of overseeing the continuity of the Canadian Inter-provincial Championships and acts as a registration agent for Canadian dancers and organizers participating in world-wide events.
"There were 15 girls in Brenna's category [10 to under 12] and the Top 3, of which my daughter was one, were chosen to proceed to ScotDance to represent Alberta," Jill said, noting last year's ScotDance event was held in Prince Edward Island and added Brenna will be among 800 dancers competing.
"They come from all over the world, from Scotland to Australia, the U.S. and all over Canada as well. I'm so proud of her."
For her part, 11-year-old Brenna said one of the biggest things she took away from the provincial championships is that hard work and dedication pays off.
"I've been highland dancing since I was three years old. I practice a lot to prepare for competitions like this and it involves a lot of strength and stamina-related training," Brenna said, adding the main reason she got into the sport was because of family.
"My mom's whole side is pretty much all Scottish-born and I really wanted to do it myself. Heritage is very important to me," she added.
