Ms Heaney Reveals Hidden Highland Dancing Talent
By Abbey & Samantha
If you thought Ms Heaney was just a normal teacher, think again. Press Gang reporters have discovered that the Stage Two teacher has a hidden Talent.
Press Gang: What is your hidden talent?
Ms Heaney: My hidden talent is highland dancing
Press Gang: What is highland dancing?
Ms Heaney: Highland Dancing is a traditional style of dance that originated in Scotland thousands of years ago. It was a style of dance that was used in the military – when Clans went to war they would have dancers and bagpipers who would dance over swords to show their strength and their precision.
There was an omen about the battle that was going to be fought, if the dancer tipped the sword or made a mistake it meant they might lose their battle. But if they didn’t it was a good omen and brought them good luck in the battle.
Press Gang: What type of music do you dance to?
Ms Heaney: Traditional bagpipe music – piping tunes that have been used for many, many years. I’ve done lots of dancing in competitions all over the world, sometimes the tunes are a bit more contemporary, they might have a brass band or a rock band with them, but it’s all bagpipes.
Press Gang: How do you feel when you dance?
Ms Heaney: Dancing gives me an amazing feeling. It’s a strong connection to my heritage and to my culture, but also performing. I love to perform – it makes me feel confident. It makes me feel strong. It makes me feel like I’m flying. That’s how I would describe it.
Press Gang: Do you have a strong connection with the people you dance with?
Ms Heaney: Oh, yes. Highland dancing is a really small community. So as I’ve grown up from a tiny person to an adult, we’ve always competed together. The people I compete with, I grew up with them. We started dancing together when we were six, and then we competed all the way until we were adults, and then we traveled the world and did the performances with the military tattoo. So we got to know each other really, really well. Some of my best friends are my dancing friends.
Press Gang: Who are you as a dancer?
Ms Heaney: As I mentioned before, highland dancing is part of my heritage. And so I think as a dancer it lets me express who I am in a cultural sense. Also I really love that feeling of flying and being in that moment and telling a story. All of our dances have a story behind them, and I can tell that story when I dance. So it’s a way that I can express history and heritage, but also the joy of actually doing the dance.
