To the editor:
In an era when family values, morals, tradition and culture are questioned daily by popular media and outside exposure, it is shocking to see yet another important event for the youth of our community being cut. The annual Gaelic College Highland Dance Competition is one of the longest standing Highland Dance competitions in Canada. For this reason alone, it is a very important part of the history of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and Canada. It is also important to our Cape Breton dancers as an event for these locals to perform for their families and their community without, once again, having to leave the Island. This competition attracts dancers from all over Canada, many of which have relatives in Cape Breton, and plan their summer vacations around the competition.
This past Fall, the Gaelic College elected a new administration which included a new Executive Director and Director of Education. Under this administration, there will be a change in focus at the College, moving more towards the Gaelic language and only ‘non’ competitive studies. There will no longer be study in the Great Highland Bagpipe (only Cape Breton style piping), no Pipeband Drumming, etc. Eventually, they hope to fade out one of the College’s longest standing areas of study, Highland Dance.
The Gaelic College began in 1938 as a Gaelic institution, at a time when Gaelic was a central part of Cape Breton communities–spoken at home and in school. Years later, Highland Dance and Bagpiping were added to the curriculum due to their ties with the language, culture and music, and they have continued through its history. Step Dance and Fiddle were not added to the program until many years later–the early ’80s. I have no issue with a Gaelic focus, I think it’s wonderful. My Dad’s family is from Inverness and spoke Gaelic in their home, and my daughter is studying Gaelic Song at the Gaelic College. My issue is with the disregard for other longstanding areas of study. If, back in the day, Gaelic College administration felt Highland Dance had strong enough ties to be one of the first evolving areas of study, why does the new administration feel it cannot be part of this tradition? Yes, the fiddle and step dance have been a large part of this culture, especially renewed in the past 20+ years, however, they were not original disciplines of study at the Gaelic College back when the Gaelic was center stage, yet Highland Dance was.
In early days, they also ran an annual Gaelic Mod that hosted competitions in Gaelic Song and Story, Highland Dance, and Pipebands. Through the years, the Mod has sadly become extinct, following along with so many events that have been lost to our Island. The Highland Dance Competition, however, has continued to run successfully since its inception. Due to the dedication and loyalty I have felt towards this event, the College’s traditions, and the local dancers, I have continued to organize this for the past 20 years with the support of the previous administrations and community volunteers. I run this purely on a volunteer basis, with no association as is the norm with other competitions.
So why would the Gaelic College pull this event? Their answer, aside from their new non-competitive view, is they don’t feel Highland Dance is connected in any way to the Gaelic Culture!!! I asked where they are getting their history and beliefs, and it was simply stated they just knew these things from being around the Gaelic lifestyle. This is very interesting. Certainly the dancing has changed over time, but it should still have a place in the culture, so it doesn’t get completely lost. Quoting a friend who has his Masters in Ethnochoreology (Traditional Dance Studies): “Both strands of the dance tradition (Highland & Step) should co-habit as they support and inform each other. Highland Flings have been danced to puirt a beul (mouth music) in Scotland for the past 50-60 years”…as have they been danced at the Gaelic College through mouth music in my younger years, and currently with my own students.
Healthy competition for youth has been a reason why many of these Celtic traditions have lasted through a time where media promotes a much more elaborate sense of living for youth. Competition allows young people to set goals, strive for improvement and share their skills with others. Isn’t this what our Gaelic/Cape Breton culture is about: families actually spending time together at community events full of tradition, culture and values? Not to mention the money that goes back in to our community’s economy when 100-200 dancers and their families spend the weekend dancing in Cape Breton (staying at our hotels, buying our gas, eating at our restaurants, shopping at our stores). I think maybe the administration may want to consider attending such an event before deciding its fate.
This is a disappointing loss to Highland Dance, which is a unique art form in many areas around the world. It is a great loss to our history and culture on the Island and within the Province, where Highland Dance competitions and Highland Games have been decreasing annually due to monetary reasons. Why can’t the Gaelic College pursue its ideals with the Gaelic Language, while still allowing the school portion of the institution to teach other just as relevant sectors of the culture? How is it that suddenly a few people get to decide what is a relevant part of tradition at the Gaelic College? If Highland Dance was relevant enough to be a starting new discipline way back in early Gaelic College days, why is it suddenly “not part of the culture”?
If our own Island, an Island that survives on our Celtic culture through tourism, and the Gaelic College, an institution promising to promote the local culture within our community, does not support Highland Dance… then who exactly will?
The Gaelic College is run overall by a Board of Governors. This Board makes all final decisions regarding the Gaelic College. If you would like to support the continuation of Highland Dance and the Dance Competition at the Gaelic College, please send any letters of support along to the Board Chairperson: Maureen Carroll maureen@mcarrollconsulting.ca.
Kelly MacAuthur
kelly@macarthurdance.com
Kelly MacArthur is the Director of the MacArthur School of Dance. She has been teaching Highland & Step Dance at the Gaelic College for the past 23 years. Kelly is the organizer of the GC Highland Dance Competition.
Trish MacDonald says
To promote, preserve and perpetuate through studies in ALL related areas – the culture, music, language, arts, crafts, customs and traditions of immigrants from the highlands of Scotland. This is the mission statement direcly from the Gaelic College website.
This new administration has to be reminded why they are there and who they represent! All of these disciplines have existed at the college in harmony for decades, and now a small group of people feel they have the right to make decisions about what is "Gaelic Enough"?
This whole thing absolutely "stinks" of personal agendas, and as a former student, Cape Bretoner, and someone who is fiercely proud of my Scottish heritage I am very dissapointed. This is a sad day for Cape Breton!
James Nicholson says
Mr. Ed Pearlman, good for you. The College has always focused on Scottish culture in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, North America, etc, and in doing so has focused on what was going on in Scotland, not what the Scottish immigrants took with them to Cape Breton. They now want to focus on Gaelic, Cape Breton style. Fine; great, in fact. All power to them. However to do so at the expense of these other elements of the culture is not only, in my opinion, wrong, but also unfaithful to history and to their proposed reasons for doing so in the first place.
Cape Breton had a strong piping culture for many years as the first wave of Scottish immigrants reached our shores, stronger, in fact than the fiddling tradition at that time. (Reason: louder music = better parties, I guess) Ever read Barry Shears' book 'Dance to the Piper'? He outlines all this as well as – at times – blasting the College for constantly ignoring this more informal style in favour of the much more historically recent marching band style which they have always taught and still teach.
I'm rambling a bit, but what I mean to say is that a change to teaching more traditional (Cape Breton) forms of Gaelic and Celtic culture shouldn't lead to the exclusion of these other disciplines. I have mentioned the pipes merely because i could think of a few examples, but the same holds true for the others as well.
One further note, just to muddy the waters a bit further: The Gaelic College has been around for so long, doing what they do, that they have become an historical entity all their own. Some thought should be given to what can be done to progress forwards while still remaining true to what has historically made this establishment responsible for such great contributions to the arts, crafts, and language of the Gaelic culture throughout the world.
Jen Schoonover says
In 'Dance to the Piper', there was an anecdote that may go a long way to understanding some of the reasoning of the current direction. J.L. MacKenzie, a 'champion' dancer and teacher from Scotland, heavily invested in the propagation of the rather new, at the time, Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing, told local dancers in the 50s and 60s that their steps were not Scottish. This was not true — dances preserved in Cape Breton reflected an earlier form of Scottish dance not as influenced by French dance technique. But the influence of these imported teachers at the Gaelic College did have such an effect that these Highland dances that were taught by earlier immigrant dancing masters in Cape Breton, including versions of the Fling, Sword Dance, Seann Triubhas, and Hornpipe, were eclipsed by the newer versions from Scotland.
There was not a big outcry when the Gaelic College phased out Scottish Country Dance classes several years ago…
Kelly says
Scottish Country Dance was only offered in Adult Sessions at the Gaelic College, and only offered for a few years. It was not a staple discipline. They tried it for a few summers, and the interest wasn't strong enough to have it regularly at that time. Highland Dance has been taught at the Gaelic College for 72 years, and it remains one of the most popular courses with regards to student numbers.
The removal will lead to the same kind of loss years down the road as is lost with any culture. Although Highland Dance is popular around the world, it has small pockets. In Cape Breton it is danced much more recreationally and culturally ~ competitions aren't as plenty. Continued cuts will mean continued losses. Just losing the piping style and drumming means changes for Highland Dancers, as it is really hard right no to find a piper for an event.
Highland Dance has been around Cape Breton ~ including the Gaelic Communities ~ since the late 1700's. There are elders still around being interviewed right now who have been taught by their sisters/mothers, who have been taught by their mothers, who have been taught by their mothers ~ right from the Isles in Scotland with the emigration.
This perceived belief that Highland Dance was started in Cape Breton in 1939 with the GC (with Dance Masters such as JL) is not factual. Already 2 families of Highland Dancers have been traced back straight to Scotland ~ who settled in Inverness and performed Highland Dance throughout all those years at parties, picnics, homes and halls ~ to Gaelic Song, pipes…and eventually fiddlers. Many Highland Dancers performed Step Dance as well, and were all Gaels from Gaelic Speaking and singing families. The style they dances was indeed a variation of the HD we see today (although admittedly evolved), and it came straight from the Isles of Canna and Rum on the Western Highland s of Scotland. Influences were from both the old and new HD. This style people keep calling 'new' (although at least over 300 years old for some steps and hundreds more years older for others) was filtered through Gaelic CB since as early as the 1300's ~ not brought over by these Masters. it existed well before that.
Articles and books written did not show these families and their HD lineage ~ but it will be written for future dancers so there is no more confusion and disrespect re their history.
A former instructor says
People should think of the best of both worlds. Make Gaelic a required course. Keep piping and highland dance. Competition these days gives reason for kids to set a goal to play. It is healthy. So are sports. Etc. Science competitions in schools, heritage fairs… It helps set a goal. Learn both styles. Adapt. If you are going to implement changes to make it more traditional, more like the ancestors who settled in Cape Breton, then I guess eliminate the styles but do not be a hypocrite. Adding guitar accompaniment? I love the addition of the guitar, but it is hypocritical-Tell me what Gael had a guitar chugging along with a puirt a beul? Fiddle also is a fairly relative new addition to the Gaelic culture. Why did people start picking up the fiddle? Because someone invented amplification so the pipers were like, GREAT we dont have to play the dances for three hours on the pipes! lets just play the fiddle! Second verse same as the first. Yes piping and highland dance was "tainted" in the past, but what in this world hasn't been? To keep it strictly as it was pre 1747 before the battle of culloden? That is what is the implied direction when you break it down. That is when the British had their hand in changing the pipes. haha WHO is going to show us what it was like back then? I say, change the direction, and take highland dance and piping from being the showcase of the Gaelic College yes, put Gaelic in the front spot, but do not eliminate. The college won't survive without it.
kdc says
How can they say highland dancing and the pipes aren't gaelic!?!? They are institutions in celtic traditions just as surely as speaking gaelic, irish dancing,and celidhs. It would be a crying shame to lose such things from the university.
Shay MacMullin says
I'm glad to see that the Gaelic College is under new administration. I trust their decisions to phase out certain offerings were made with careful thought. I am thrilled to learn of the Gaelic-centric foundation being built. I think there is a lot to be gained by educating and promoting aspects of Gaelic culture as they were expressed and celebrated when Gaels first settled here. (In preference to those that were created/adopted and labeled as Gaelic culture in more recent years.) This has lead to a confused identity. While there may be a ways to go in awareness to what this entails, I think it is very important to connect with those areas of culture rather than imposed ones.
The Gaelic College can't be everything to all people, and it's about time it becomes a centre for Gaelic. And I believe people will flock there for that reason.
I respectfully acknowledge the disappointment of highland dancers and organizers. It must be very difficult. I hope a way forward will be found to express a discipline so enjoyed by many.
Kelly says
Thank you for writing in a rational opposing fashion.
When the fiddle and step dance began at the GC in the 80's, we (meaning those of the current Highland Dance, Pipeband program at the time) embraced these changes and made no complaints ~ welcoming new sectors to the culture to the GC. Once they were there, MANY things changed. We lost our Kilts, or formal ceilidhs…traditions that WE enjoyed. Yet still, we made room and were OPEN MINDED re the inclusion.
Now these style disciplines are unfairly trying to bump us out as if we have no part of the Gaelic College history. Seeing as people flocked there for Highland Dance and other such disciplines ~ that is proof they are worthy of co-existing. A narrow minded small group of people have decided that they know what's right, and who gave them this right to decide on an institution the COMMUNITY pays for?
No one is demeaning the Gaelic portion of the culture.
Deibi Sobaidh says
Well said Kelly. i have attended many immersions at the GC and happily went to bed to the sound of the fiddle and just as haapily was awaken to the sound of the pipes. I am a Gaelic learner, love the culture and teach the language in any way I can….song, reading conversation. I see no reason why the college cannot be inclusive, as should CB be to other parts of the province wherein folks try to learn Gaelic. Isnt there enough exclusion out there? This reminds me of an old saying i heard many a time while growing
up…"the scots are there own worst enemies."
Kelly says
Deibi Sobaidh:
You got that right :)