Fiona Lee: A World-Class Champion Highland Dancer
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
Fiona Lee of the Heather Jolly School of Highland Dancing in Coquitlam, B.C., is a world-class champion dancer. On August 26, the 15-year old dancer won the Scottish Championship in Dunoon, Scotland for the 15-year old category. The next day, she went on to win the first runner up at the World Championship.
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FIONA LEE
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In July this year, Fiona travelled to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, for the Canadian Interprovincial Championships where she did very well, placing first runner up in the Canadian championships and then winning the North American Championship the following day.
The Lee family is one of high achievers who are truly immersed in the Scottish culture. Fiona’s father is Pipe Major Terry Lee of the SFU Pipe Band, who are four-time World Pipe Band Champions.
Her brother Alastair, is a member of the Robert-Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band who walked away in August with the top prize in the Juvenile Category at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.
The family’s love for all things Scottish is further enhanced as Terry Lee is part-owner of Tartantown. This popular, and well-stocked Coquitlam retail store, has everything from bagpipes to kilts, Scottish pottery and souvenirs.
Fiona’s mother, Nancy, also studied Highland Dancing and modestly says that, although she was never at the level of dancing that her daughter has achieved, she is a staunch supporter. She knows the work it takes to reach the level of professionalism that Fiona has attained.
Nancy explained how qualifying for the World Championship works. She said that in order for Fiona to qualify, she had to compete against about 140 other top dancers from all over the world in Scotland. Her win then qualified her for the World Championship, where she came in second.
Fiona began attending Highland dance classes when she was four years old, and started competing when she was seven. She has been travelling to Scotland since she was nine years old and this is a personal best for her. Her father, Terry, was also a Highland dancer, and he came in fourth in the Worlds when he was 17.
Speaking about the thrill and excitement of taking part in the World Highland Dancing Championship, Fiona said, “I really like it in Scotland, all your friends from the dance school are there with you. And I like the competitions, because you get to meet a lot of other people who have come to compete, and just watching all the other dancers really motivates you to dance better.”
Fiona has some advice for aspiring Highland dancers. “You really have to practice a lot and listen to your teacher.” Fiona practices about three times a week and attends classes from three to four times a week as well. Speaking about her future plans she said, “I would like to be a teacher or judge one day. This would also give me the opportunity to get back to Scotland often.”
For more information about the Heather Jolly School of Highland Dancing, call Heather Jolly at Tartantown (Heather is also a partner at the store) at 604-936-8548.
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[Special thanks to Jean Remenda of Tartantown for suggesting this story.]
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