News

Spring 2022 – Auditions
Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia are pleased to announce upcoming auditions for the troupe. Meg Grandmaison instructs the highland dancers and is the Artistic Director of the troupe, Cindy Penney instructs the step dancers, and together they create exciting choreographies for performances.

Auditions for Highland & Step dancers

• Date: Friday, June 10, 2022, 6-7 pm, École du Carrefour; see poster for additional information.
• Junior Highland Troupe: Ages 9-12 (by Aug 31, 2022) with Intermediate level or equivalent, knowledge of all traditional Highland and National dances. (Novice dancers considered with their teacher’s confirmation of intermediate level knowledge/ability.)
• Senior Highland Troupe: Ages 13-25 (by Aug 31, 2022) with Premier level or equivalent, knowledge of all traditional Highland and National dances.
• Step Dance Troupe: Ages 10-25 (by Aug 31, 2023) with three full years of step dancing lessons.  Importance on musicality, presentation, and clarity of beats.
• To audition, please complete the Dancer Audition Form and have your teacher complete the Recommendation Form. Note: You will require a Google account to log in and use the forms. Please wear hair in a bun, black shorts/tank top, white knee socks, ghillies or step shoes.
• Dancer Audition Form: https://forms.gle/6pEpZZkQvttgFd27A
• Teacher Recommendation Form: https://forms.gle/uSriBtTC59Q5fnQz8

Please email info@amethystscottishdancersns.ca if you have any questions.

Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia are pleased to be in Toronto (ON) to perform at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) on August 22, 23, and 24, 2019. They will share Scottish culture through both traditional dances as well as modern choreographies. They will give audiences an exciting taste of Nova Scotia. They will be sharing the stage with other international performers. We wish the Amethyst dancers all the best as they entertain the thousands of visitors to the CNE-2019.

Congratulations to our 50-50 winners!
Amethyst Scottish Dancers sold 50-50 tickets on April 27 at Princess Auto in Dartmouth, NS. Many people stopped by and supported our dancers by purchasing $2.00 or $5.00 squares. The draw date was April 28, and one square per board was drawn, and wanted to congratulate our winners:

• $250.00 prize: G. Coolen, Gold River, NS
• $109.00 prize: A. Matheson, Fall River, NS
• $79.00 prize: Scott Tilford, Fall River, NS

Nova Scotia Ticket Lottery Permit #AD-102371-19

 

Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia will be traveling to Newfoundland in July 2018 to perform in the Codroy Valley Folk Festival. Performances will be on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28, 2018. They will share Scottish culture through both traditional dances as well as modern choreographies. They will give audiences an exciting taste of Nova Scotia. We wish the Amethyst dancers all the best as they entertain the Folk Festival visitors in July 2018.

Amethyst performing at 2018 Codroy Valley Folk Festival

We invite you to join us for a special show, Sweet Ceilidh, where you will be treated to an entertaining afternoon featuring the Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia. You will also be treated to a delicious dessert buffet!  Ticket price: $20

Sunday, June 10, 2018 – 3:00-5:00 pm – Christ Church Hall, 61 Dundas Street, Dartmouth, NS

For tickets, talk to an Amethyst family member, or email: amethystdancersns@gmail.com 

Sweet Ceilidh Poster

Evenings @ Government House - Celtic Wish
To celebrate National Tartan Day, the Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia will perform both traditional and modern highland and step dances.

In celebration of National Tartan Day that occurs on 6 April 2018, the Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia will perform Celtic Wish where the audience will be treated to lively music, exciting dancing, and colourful costumes.  This will be an opportunity for the Amethyst dancers to share their love of dance and music.  Celtic Wish will include both traditional Scottish dances as well as several modern choreographed highland and step dance numbers. Amethyst will be performing on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at Government House, 1451 Barrington Street, Halifax; to register for this event, go to:
https://lt.gov.ns.ca/news-events/evenings-government-house.

The Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia is a group of local dancers who celebrate the rich tradition of Scottish culture and have been entertaining audiences since 1985.  The troupe is comprised of highly-trained highland and step dancers, aged 9-18.  They blend traditional and contemporary choreography to give audiences an exciting taste of Nova Scotia’s vibrant Scottish culture.  Over the course of the group's history, dancers have entertained Royalty, cruise ship passengers, and thousands of others at home and abroad.

Amethyst will be holding a “Funny Fundraiser”/Comedy Show at Brewster’s Bar and Grill (Bedford, NS) on Friday, November 24, 2017. Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy a comedy show as well as the opportunity to participate in a Silent Auction.

If you would consider supporting this fundraising event, we would be delighted to accept products, services, or gift cards.

If you would like to join us for our fun fundraising evening, please email:  amethystdancersns@gmail.com

The Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia are pleased to announce that Elizabeth McCorkell will be the Artistic Director and Highland dance instructor for the Junior and Senior Highland Troupes. Elizabeth has had many years of dance experience as both a Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance Professional Member in both Highland and Scottish Nationals and as a performer with additional experience in Ballet and Step dance. She has danced both competitively and as a member of several Highland dance troupes across Canada and in many other countries including Scotland, France, Belgium, USA, and China. She has had many incredible performance opportunities including international festivals, Tattoos and dancing for Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during their most recent visit to Nova Scotia. Elizabeth is currently the Co-Director of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo's Highland dance team, directs her own dance studio, McCorkell Academy of Highland Dance in Halifax, and plays snare drum with two local Pipes and Drums bands.

Welcome, Elizabeth!

Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia are pleased to be in Toronto (ON) to perform at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) on August 19, 20, and 21, 2016. They will share Scottish culture through both traditional dances as well as modern choreographies. They will give audiences an exciting taste of Nova Scotia. They will be sharing the stage with other international performers, including: White Pine Dancers (Canadian First Nations), AKA Crescendo & MEGArock (Croatia), Arabesque (Middle East), Ukraina Dance Ensemble (Ukraine), and many others. We wish the Amethyst dancers all the best as they entertain the thousands of visitors to the CNE-2016.

Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia recognize the support of the Province of Nova Scotia. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.

Fundraising Campaigns
The Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia would also like to thank everyone who supported our fundraising campaigns.

Gift Card Tree Fundraising Campaign:  Amethyst Scottish Dancers have been fundraising by selling tickets for a Gift Card Tree and the winning tickets were drawn on Sunday, May 1, 2016. The winners were:

• Draw #1 ($350 in gift cards) was L. Melvin (Dartmouth NS)
• Draw #2 ($100 in gift cards) was J. Banfield (Cole Harbour NS)

Amethyst 50-50 Ticket Campaigns: Amethyst Scottish Dancers have been fundraising by selling 50-50 tickets. The winners were:

• May 8 50-50 Draw ($175 prize) was MT Bunt (Dartmouth NS)
• May 15 50-50 Draw ($465 prize) was W. Munden (Herring Cove NS)
• May 19 50-50 Draw ($135 prize) was S. Richards (Unity SK)
• May 25 50-50 Draw ($500 prize) was E. Jamieson (Fall River NS)
• June 2 50-50 Draw ($190 prize) was A. Coldwell (North Vancouver BC)
• June 5 50-50 Draw ($500 prize) was R. Luedee (Hubley NS)
• June 9 50-50 Draw ($500 prize) was R. MacDonald (Port Hood NS)
• June 12 50-50 Draw ($335 prize) was P. Mansfield (Sydney Mines NS)

The Amethyst Scottish Dancers of NS will be taking their unique brand of highland and step dancing to the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto this summer. These talented dancers have been invited to the CNE to inject a boost of Nova Scotia’s vibrant culture into the performances. Amethyst has been delighting audiences worldwide for over 30 years. A troupe of highly trained highland and step dancers, aged 9-25, they blend traditional and contemporary choreography to give audiences an unforgettable show.

Throughout the troupe’s history, dancers have entertained tens of thousands, including Royalty, cruise ship passengers, and many more at conventions and performances at home and abroad. They will be wowing passengers on board the Queen Mary 2 for the third year in a row when she docks in Halifax this summer. Audiences are treated to lively music, exciting and innovative dancing and colourful costumes, often with their trademark Nova Scotia tartan.

If you would like to see these wonderful dancers perform, please contact them to book for your event. Various sponsorship opportunities are also available if you would like to support their trip to the CNE.

Email: amethystdancersns@gmail.com