Annalize Lam, from Brigadoon Dance Academy in Nanaimo, BC, took first place in the junior championship at the Cowal Highland Gathering in Dunoon last Saturday. The teenager has been practicing Highland dancing for over a decade and qualified for the event in Scotland after winning the Canadian championships in Regina in July. Lam beat Australian Morven Johnston and Nova Scotian Olivia Burke for the junior title, which is restricted to under-18s. “I’m just over the moon, excited,” she told Robyn Burns, host of CBC’s All Points West. “My friends won’t let me forget it,” he said with a laugh. “I’m so proud of myself. And so are they.” Brigadoon Dance Academy student Keltie Willis, left, and Annalize Lam during their trip to Scotland. It was the first time Lam, who has Scottish heritage, had visited the birthplace of Highland dancing. (Brigadoon Dance Academy/Facebook) Dozens of people showed up at the Nanaimo airport to welcome Lam home, with one of her friends even bringing bagpipes to add some Scottish flair to her arrival. “It was so much fun,” Lam said.
“You have to show these judges what you can do”
Highland dancing is a form of competitive dance that developed in 19th century Scotland, where men practiced it as a battlefield ritual and also as a form of social storytelling. Today, women win almost every major league in the world. At Dunoon, dancers had to compete in four categories to bagpipe and percussion music: the fling, the sword, Seann triubhas and the reel. Lam’s coach Diena Henry attended the championships with another dancer from the academy, Keltie Willis — who, earlier on the same trip, won medals at a Commonwealth competition in Stirling. By the time of the trip to Scotland, Lam was done runner-up at BC championships before her win at nationals, which Henry says was the first for a Vancouver-born dancer since 1988. After her protégé cleaned up qualifying at Dunoon last weekend, Henry said there wasn’t much opportunity to practice because of the quick turnaround between events. “We had a conversation … our goal is always not to beat anybody. Our goal is always to dance our personal best,” he said. “Our discussion was, for the world final, you can’t hold back. You have to show these judges what you can do.” Lam said she felt “very good” about her performance before the judges delivered their verdict. “I was in tears hugging her,” Henry said, describing her emotions after Lam was awarded first place. “She just went her own way, you know? It was pretty exciting.” Henry said she couldn’t sleep that night because she kept replaying in her mind the last event of the rally – a ceremonial Highland throw in which Lam danced with the other champions.
Dreams of the Edinburgh Tattoo
Lam says she was drawn to the dance because of the strength, power and technique required to perform it properly. She also has Scottish heritage on her mother’s side. He practices at Henry’s academy twice a week and at home in between. Henry likened Lam’s attitude in the classroom to a “border collie who wants to go to work.” “He just wants the ball, like, ‘give it to me,’” Henry told CBC News. “She’s a joy to work with because she’s just hungry to get better.” Lam (left) and Willis at the caravan park in Dunoon where they stayed during the Cowal Highland Rally. (Brigadoon Dance Academy/Facebook) The champion has now set her sights on the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo – a series of performances in the Scottish capital featuring bands, drills and display teams – which takes place every August. “[It] it would be a new experience with execution rather than competition,” Lam said. “I would have to audition, but it would be amazing if I could get in.” 5:27 Highland dancer from Nanaimo takes first place at world championships in Scotland Annalize Lam, a 17-year-old Highland dancer from Nanaimo, won first place in the Juniors category at the Cowal Gathering in Scotland. He spoke to Robyn Burns about the experience.
