Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

New programme looks Strictly behind the scenes at the competitive world of Highland Dancing

Post Thumbnail

A teenage dancer who travels 150 miles every week to attend classes will share her passion for the art in a new documentary.

Emma Peterson, who lives on the Isle of Harris, has made a lot of sacrifices for her love of dance.

And in Dannsa Gaidhealach – An t-Slighe a Chomhaill – or Highland Dancing – The Road to Cowal – next week, viewers will see just what it takes to survive in a fiercely competitive environment.

The programme follows the dancers’ efforts, both behind the scenes and in front of the judges, at this year’s 125th Cowal Games in Dunoon.

It might seem a world removed from the glitz and glamour of Strictly and Shirley Ballas, but there is no shortage of guts and determination from the youngsters as they parade their talent.

Highland dancers Beth Campbell and Gemma Taylor from Skye.

The programme features former champions, and shows the rigorous practise routines undertaken. Fitness and strength and conditioning classes are also a vital part of dancers’  week and, as Cowal approaches, their training schedule intensifies to the stage where there is even a Highland dance boot camp.

But it also shows an understanding of the pressure the young teens are under.

Teacher Claire Wilson used to compete at the Cowal Games and this was the first year she had planned to take one of her pupils to the championships.

Highland dancer, Emma Peterson, from the Isle of Harris.

But as the content loomed, she realised that Emma – who by her own admission sometimes struggles with her nerves – was not ready.

As the youngster started to feel the pressure during the preparations for the Cowal Games, her mentor did her utmost to push her to achieve the dream she had harboured for a decade without being an ogre.

Ms Wilson said: “Emma has a silent determination and an internal drive to do well.

“But she stopped halfway through at a few competitions, just with that panic of thinking it wasn’t right or wasn’t good enough or what comes next.”

Ms Wilson told the dancer: “If you get on the boards and you crumble, and get really nervous or really upset, it will put you off dancing for good and I don’t want to do that to you.”

Highland Dancing is a very competitive environment.

And for Beth Campbell, 14, and and her mother, Karen, who is also her dance teacher, there were physical, not psychological problems on the day.

Mrs Campbell, who runs Skye Highland Dancers, has between 60 and 70 dancers, including lots of primary school-aged children, so Beth and another pupil, Gemma Taylor, help her run the classes.

Dancing together at the Cowal Games.

However on the day of the Cowal Gathering, Beth sustained shin splints and her legs were aching.

She decided to dance through the pain barrier, and was delighted with her performance.

Only for 2019, however. As they step up their efforts, both she and Emma will be back next year on the quest for dance glory.

The programme airs on Monday, October 28 on BBC Alba from 9pm to 10pm.