Blackford Highland Games
Dancers
You are here : Home /Dancers

Highland Dancing at Blackford

Highland Dancing is a vibrant and much-loved part of the Blackford Highland Games.  Dancers of all ages and abilities take to the stage to showcase the strength, skill, and tradition behind Scotland’s highland and national dances.  Whether you're a competitor or a spectator, the dancing adds energy and colour to the day and is always a highlight of the Games.  The colourful outfits are always a draw.  You can tell where the dancers are by the village of green tents.

The Highland Dancing competition at Blackford Highland Games is run by Dawn Fraser, a Highland Dance teacher from Stirling. Entry Forms are available on the RSOBHD website or by contacting Dawn at dafraser23@hotmail.com. Dancers must be registered with the Royal Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing They dance in age groups (according to entry) in one of five categories:  

  • Primary (under 7 years)
  • Beginner
  • Novice
  • Intermediate
  • Premier

 Dancers move through the sections from Beginner to Premier. They remain in a section for the longer of 12 months from receiving their first stamp and the time they take to receive six stamps. Stamps are awarded for a first, second or third place in a Highland dance in competitions.

  • IMG_0030
  • IMG_0026
  • IMG_0114
  • IMG_0152

Premier dancers who live in Perthshire receive points towards the Perthshire Highland Games Association League for their performance over thirteen Highland Games across the season.  Blackford is usually the first of these games.  Winners are announced and awards presented at Pitlochry Highland Games in September.  The league table is on the Atholl Dancing Association page.  Perthshire is defined as the old county boundaries so includes places like Dunblane and Callander which are not in the Perth and Kinross Council area.

Dances at Blackford include: 

  • Highland Fling
  • Swords
  • Seann Truibhas
  • Reel
  • Flora
  • Lilt
  • Irish Jig
  • Sailors' Hornpipe
HighlandSpring_logo

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Highland Spring for their generous sponsorship of the Blackford Highland Dancing Competition. As a proud local company, Highland Spring bottles its pure spring water right here in Blackford, drawing from the beautiful Ochil Hills that surround our village. Their continued support helps us celebrate the traditions of Highland dancing and bring our community together each year.

Keeping the Games Alive

In 2020, on the day of what would have been the 150th Games but for Covid, a Blackford dancer, Ailsa Sloan danced a Highland Fling in the Games Park and was awarded the 1870 prize money of 10 shillings.  In 2021, she was joined by a Blackford runner, Euan McLaughlan before the Games was able to return in full in 2022. 

IMG_0298