Behind the Scenes of Saorsa Studio - April 2024 Welcome to the monthly Saorsa Studio Snapshot!  These monthly posts will give you some insight into what’s on the go at our studio – from competition and performance results, to our student of the month, to the new initiatives we always have on the go Current dance families can find a more detailed version of this newsletter in their inbox. April Reminders for Saorsa Dancers There are NO CLASSES on Monday, April 1st (Easter). Save the date: Year-end recital dress rehearsal May 27th + A few other extra performances for our compet ..read more

Competition Etiquette for Dancers and Attendees Because of the highly social and often tense environment at dance competitions, your off-stage etiquette can be just as important as your performance on-stage! Highland dancing is different than other sports. It’s not a place where you can be yelling on the sidelines, for one. And there are other rules, like you can’t talk to the judge. At each and every event you attend, you’re representing your dance studio and your dance family! It’s critical when attending these events that you display kindness, professionalism, respect… the list goes on ..read more

Packing for a Highland Dance Competition We’ve all been there… You prepare for a dance competition for weeks. You practice your dances, book your hotel room, pack up the car, and get to the event venue to finally get started. And you realise that you forgot something.  Whether it’s your lipstick, your socks, your sports bra, or half of the stuff you need, it’s never fun.  Today we’re sharing our packing list with you. It’ll be organised by costume, so you can reference the lists for various competitions with different dances. Not everything on the list will apply to everyone (i ..read more

How Does Judging Work at Highland Dance Competitions? By Nicole Odo, RSOBHD Judge The world of competitive highland dance can be a lot to wrap your head around at first. It’s an individually judged sport, and parents will often ask “what are the judges looking for?” We’re going to break that down today, and also give insight into how the scoring system works! I’m going to write this from the perspective of how I judge, but know that all judges have their own slightly different methods for how they go about choosing their top dancers from the group. Competition Day I’ll start by giving y ..read more

Why We Love What We Do Behind every dance teacher is a little dancer who fell in love with the studio, the competitions, the friendships, and the work.  We asked our instructors for a positive memory from their childhood as a dancer, and they did not disappoint. Highland dance offers so many opportunities, experiences, and moments of connections that shape our lives. Read the wholesomeness below! Nicole's Memory Having her #1 cheerleader by her side “My positive memory is attending every competition when I was little with my grampy <3   “He was the reason I started highla ..read more

Behind the Scenes of Saorsa Studio - January 2024 Welcome to the monthly Saorsa Studio Snapshot!  These monthly posts will give you some insight into what’s on the go at our studio – from competition and performance results, to our student of the month, to the new initiatives we always have on the go Current dance families can find a more detailed version of this newsletter in their inbox. February Reminders for Saorsa Studio Dancers We have in-class studio social activites happening the week of Feb 12 – 17 to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Dancers will make valentines or notes ..read more

Strength and Conditioning for Highland Dancers The Importance of Quality Cross Training With Luke MacMillan, MSc, CEP, CSCS, CES  Competitive dancers are probably used to being told to incorporate cross training into their practice schedule – working muscles we don’t use while dancing can be vital to developing your dance skills. That’s why we’re so proud to have Luke MacMillan on the Saorsa Studio Team. Luke is a biomechanist who specialises in strength and conditioning as well as a clinical exercise physiologist. His experience in the field of sport and high performance spans over a d ..read more

How to Reach Your Dance Potential in 2024 All athletes know how challenging the transition from a rest period to a training ramp up can be. For highland dancers, Winter and Spring mean preparing for championship season. Learning the new steps, mastering the technique, and getting ready to compete. For many, the hardest part of this is the aerobic stamina. Getting through a long dance (particularly this years’ Full Tulloch Reel with a million high cuts- oof) can be extremely tough – especially coming off of a restful Christmas break.  If you’re a dancer who… Has set big goals for themse ..read more

Behind the Scenes of Saorsa Studio - January 2024 Welcome to our very first Saorsa Studio Snapshot!  These monthly posts will give you some insight into what’s on the go at our studio – from competition and performance results, to our student of the month, to the new initiatives we always have on the go Current dance families can find a more detailed version of this newsletter in their inbox. January Reminders for Saorsa Studio Dancers  All classes, including our new set of 12-Week Programs, begin on Monday, January 8th.  All completed dance card applications, along with c ..read more

Dancer Diary: Nicole at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Throughout my dance career, I’ve travelled to Scotland countless times for the month of August to compete, as there are championships almost every weekend leading up to the World Championships at the Cowal Highland Gathering. Every year that I went, there would typically be at least one or two dancers that I knew from Canada who would ALSO be going for the month of August, but they were instead headed to perform for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (REMT).  Performing at REMT was something I started dreaming about when I wa ..read more