Highland dancing has deep roots in Scotland, where it began as a military tradition before the 1400s. Sword Dances and Highland Flings were performed to celebrate victories, mark diplomatic occasions, or ward off bad luck. Modern Highland dancing blends these Gaelic traditions with the structure and technique of classical ballet.
In Vernon, Highland dancing likely arrived with Scottish immigrants and their descendants, much as it did across Canada and beyond. One early example appears in 1921, when a dance recital at Vernon’s Empress Theatre featured students of Mrs. P. C. A. Anderson. Margaret Burris, Ada and Madeline Poole, and Patsy Anderson performed a Highland Fling, while Rita Ball and Joan Arbuckle danced a Hornpipe. The recital also included other cultural styles, including Japanese, Russian, and Irish dances.
In 1946, Leora Unwin opened a dance school in Vernon. Trained in San Francisco under Madame Marisco—then considered one of the leading ballet teachers in the United States—Unwin initially offered ballet, tap, and acrobatic classes for girls over six. She soon expanded her offerings to include boys, and by 1947 had introduced Highland dancing to her program as well.
Local pipe bands also helped sustain interest in Highland dance. The McIntosh Girls’ Pipe Band, formed in 1947, often included members trained in both piping or drumming, and dance. In 1978, the Sons of Scotland Kildonnan Camp #166 launched the Vernon Highland Dance Competition, organized by Margaret McGillivray and Jack Lucas. Volunteers Elaine Lis and Sharon Lundquist later carried it on with support from the Interior Highland Dance Association and other Sons of Scotland members. The event continues today, with the most recent competition held in February of this year.
Since the competition’s inception, several Highland dance schools have flourished in Vernon, including the Aviemore School of Highland Dance. Many of its students have achieved success at the national level, including local high school student and two-time Canadian Highland Dance Champion Rebecca Acob.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans