Scottish Dance Teachers' Alliance - SDTA

We are delighted to introduce and congratulate our newly appointed SDTA President Jan Sutherland

Jan is pictured at our AGM yesterday with the Vice Presidents

Lisa Ferrie - Vice President Highland
Sheridan Nicol - Vice President Ballet and Theatre
Sherrie Carnegie- Vice President Ballroom

Also pictured is immediate past President Gregor Bowman and former President Betty Sutherland.

Congratulations and wishing you all the best in your appointment.

Huge congratulations to the three new World Highland Dancing Champions for 2026 from all here at the SDTA.

Juvenile World Champion - Sadie Love, Alberta

Junior World Champion - Connie Urquhart, Scone

Adult WorldChampion - Marielle Lespérance, Nova Scotia

We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to our SDTA Central Scotland Highland championships and supporting events tomorrow!

A few logistics

⏰ Doors open at 8:00am

☕️ Cafe at the Lagoon will be open serving food and drinks

🚘 Car park situated directly in front of centre and overspill to the side

Parking Details & Rates:
Free allowance: First 3 hours are free

Additional time tariffs: £3.00 for 2 hours (beyond free tier), £4.00 for 3 hours, £5.00 for 4 hours, up to a max of £8.00 for all day.Payment methods:
Cash at the physical machines on-site, or cashless via RingGo.

Please be aware that the Erskine Bridge is undergoing resurfacing works this weekend which may impact your journey. Please see details in pic and allow yourself time for any diversions.

See you all soon!

We are thrilled at the SDTA that Bill Troock has been inducted into the Internationals Hall of Fame while in Australia last weekend. Bill is a Fellow, Examiner, Technical Advisor and deputy delegate to the Technical Committee of the RSOBHD for the Highland Branch of the SDTA. He is also an Independent Member and Immediate Past President of Scotdance Canada as well as an Honorary Life Member of the Alberta Highland Dancing Association.

An extract of the speech recognising Bill's contribution to the world of Highland Dancing also mentioned he is a teacher, mentor, advisor and friend to many around the world. His contribution is truly unique and Highland Dance would not be what it is today without it.

Congratulations Bill!

Congratulations and best wishes to all of the SDTA dancers who are taking part in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2026 held in Glasgow.

We are delighted to share that we have dancers from all branches of the SDTA represented in the opening ceremony and are so proud to have been able to support this prestigious event in our home city.

Enjoy your moment dancers, a special memory for sure! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

✨ That's a wrap on this term's Ballet Scholars Programme! ✨

A huge thank you to Mrs Lowry and Victoria for another fantastic term of inspiring, encouraging and challenging our Ballet Scholars. Your dedication, expertise and support are truly appreciated.

A special thank you also to Constant Vigier for delivering such an enjoyable and inspiring class. Our Ballet Scholars absolutely loved the experience, and it was a wonderful opportunity for them to learn from you.

We hope everyone has a wonderful summer, and we look forward to welcoming both our returning and new Ballet Scholars back in September for another exciting year of learning, growth and dancing together. 💙🩰

Please see link below for entry to the Central Scotland Highland Championship and supporting events 2026.

https://www.rsobhd.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Central-Scotland-Championship-Supporting-Events-15.08.26.pdf

Look forward to seeing you all there! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🙌🏻

www.rsobhd.net

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Phil Winston.

Phil was a well respected and much admired figure in the dancing world having held the positions of President, Director Emeritus and Examiner with the IDTA.

Phil was a popular TDCI adjudicator and judged the SDTA TDCI Championships on numerous occasions. His passion for dance and encouragement of the dancers was always very evident and appreciated.

Phil was an Honorary member of the SDTA and had many close ties and friends within the Alliance.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to all his family and friends at this time. He will be sorely missed.

Huge thanks to Alanna Dardas and Kiela Trotter for visiting the SDTA studios in April, to treat our dancers to some fun and inspirational Baton and Pom workshops! Many thanks also to Emma and Wendy for organising these sessions for the branch!

Baton coach and TwirlSport Scotland board member Alanna has performed nationally and internationally in Baton Twirling. She has been teaching for over 20 years, and is passionate about inspiring a new generation and opening up opportunities to young talent. A member of Team Scotland’s Unified Pom Team from 2017 to 2022, Kiela captained the AA Pom Team in 2022 (They won Gold!) before becoming Assistant Coach for Team Scotland’s Youth Pom.


Alanna Dardas