Highland Heart Award – May 2021 Kit Spencer Nominated by Anonymous: Kit Spencer is the winner of the May Highland Heart. The adjective that best describes Kit would be FIERCE. It tends to describe everything about her. Her work ethic, her determination, her friendships, her love of all things Scotland and her stamina. Kit perfectly possesses all of the qualities that are required to have a Highland Heart, but if there is one quality that stands out above the others, it would be Benevolence. Kindness is part of Kit’s makeup. She is always happy and more than willing to help everyone around her ..read more

Highland Heart Award – April 2021 Gracelynn Simms Nominated by Jordana Simms: Gracelynn Simms a naturally and genuinely kind person. Everyday she strives to make a positive impact in the lives of others. Whether it’s making handmade gifts for friends, leaving inspiring notes and positives affirmations on lockers at school, cleaning up litter in the neighbourhood or using the money she earns to pay for random acts of kindness. She aims to leave a smile on at least one person’s face every single day. Gracelynn has been diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which causes her to have ..read more

Highland Heart Award – March 2021 Amelia Racher Nominated by Nicole Felix: Amelia Racher was described by her nominator as “the most positive and supportive dancer I know.” Amelia is from Burlington, Ontario and has been dancing since she was 4 years old. Now at 12, she exemplifies benevolence in everything she does, especially dance. She has a positive attitude that never falters. She is always first to congratulate and console her competition. She is diligent in her practice habits, and always eager to learn new things. She works hard to encourage her fellow dancers and help them carry on wh ..read more

Highland Heart Award – February 2021 Sage Tousey We at Swinging Kilt were already big fans of Sage Tousey and we were happy to see her nomination come through. Nominated by Jen Tousey: Sage is guided by her heart each day waking up with a song and genuinely wanting to be kind and helpful to others, whether it’s helping unload the dishwasher or collecting donations for Pets for Vets, service is part of Sage’s every day. Sage sets goals and then creates milestones to meet them. Whether it’s becoming a nationally ranked dancer in three years of dancing or starting her own business, she sets her s ..read more

Highland Heart Award – January 2021 Lily Davies & Lois Cook Normally we will be choosing one Highland dancer each month to receive the Highland Heart Award, but for the inaugural month of January we weren’t able to limit it to just one.  Nominated by Alison Williams: Lily Davies along with her friend Lois Cook are two two young Highland dancers  from Dunoon Scotland. They created a fundraiser called “50 Flings for 50 Meals”. They danced each Friday at local sheltered housing complexes for around 17 weeks to raise money for their hometown community kitchen. In total they ..read more

As a disclaimer I’m from the United States, but I do have Scottish blood. My ancestors come from several areas in Europe, including the Netherlands, Austria, England and Scotland. I’m proud and love being an American, but I’m also proud and love my roots and I take advantage of any chance I can get to celebrate my heritage. Burns Night is one of my favorite celebrations that originates from Scotland. I love how unique and very Scottish it is. I’m not an expert on Burns Night and everything I know about it is from observation, participation and research. Don’t be too harsh if I make a mistak ..read more