Shuffle

Mr Ryan McNiel, what a genious. This amazing musician, composer, singer has finally released his new album ‘Shuffle’ and its available for anyone to purchase.  Shuffle comprises 12 Celtic tunes perfect for choreographies and for just plain old listening. Beautiful music.

To find out more visit his website: https://www.ryanonthepiano.com/store

The Highland South African Championships 2013

The annual Highland Dancing South African Championships is here. Saturday is the day, can you believe it?. It is absolutely incredible how quickly the 2013 Highland Dancing season has flown by.

When: Saturday, 27 July 2013

Where: Benoni High School, Benoni, Johannesburg

Time: 9:00am for the dancing and 10am for the Pipe Bands

This is the final competition of the highland dancing and pipe band season in South Africa for this year so it will undoubtably be the best and most challenging competition yet. Good Luck to all competitors, both dancers and bandsmen. And if you were wanting to come watch a competition this year, the is your last and best shot at seeing South Africa’s Scottish talent at its best.

See everyone there:)

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NOTE: this is, not by far, the end of the Scottish Communities calendar. The rest of the year will be packed with other events such dancers and pipe bands traveling overseas to compete in the World Championships in Scotland in August; The South African Tattoo happening in September at Monte Casino; pipe band solo competitions; The International Highland Dancing Conference taking place at Monte Casino in October; Choreography competitions and so much more. So please stay tuned to the blog and Facebook page for more details

Highland Choreography Competition 2012

As mentioned in a previous post, the O’Leary Studio was unable to take part in this years choreography competition held in Johannesburg at the Wits Theatre. Also in the same post, we mentioned that we’ll try to get the results, but unfortunately we haven’t come across them yet. However from all the posts, photos and videos that we have seen on Facebook, it seems we missed out on a fabulous evening filled with fantastic Highland Dancing Choreography.

From these photos taken by David Murray (click on David’s name and the link will send you to his Facebook 2012 Choreography photo album) we can see that the every studio made their best effort to create stunning costumes for their pieces. Each set of costumes shows us the choreography theme/concept and there are so many new and exciting ideas being expressed.

From this video of the Robinson Studio Choreography: The Hellbound Train – Hellbound Puppetteer (click the link and it will take you to the video on youtube) we can see a one of these wonderful concepts in action.  The dance piece depicts a Puppeteer trying to control her Highland Dancing Puppets. The choreography was danced to live music to the tune Hellbound Train. The pipers are Ian and Johno from the Transvaal Scottish Pipe Band (this link will take you to their Facebook group) accompanied by two of their young pipers and on the drums is the inspirational Duncan Tee of the Sandton Scottish Pipe Band (this link takes you to their Facebook page). The dancing studio who performed and choreographed this amazing dance piece is the Robinson Studio (this link will take you to their Facebook page). The Puppeteer is the talented South African Champion (Highland and Irish) Genevieve Boyes who does an excellent acting and dancing performance. Her puppets include championship dancers such as South African Highland Champion Caitlin Boyes, Shendl Leahy, Kimberley Tee and more. Was this choreography inspired by So You Think You Can Dance, by choreographers such as Wade Robson or Tyce Diorio? We don’t know, but this piece certainly will inspire others and hopefully open peoples eyes to Highland Dancing and the exciting ways it can be danced. Congratulations on an excellent performance.

We would like to congratulate all the Studios who took part in the Choreography competition. The standard of Choreography in South Africa has been elevated and we look forward to seeing more in the future. Its so special to see South African Highland dancing reach new heights and with such inspiration and passion.  I hope our dance form will start growing again.

The two photos above are taken from David Murray’s Facebook photo album.

YouTube

The O’Leary Studio has now joined YouTube too. Our first video we uploaded was taken in 1995 at the Canadian Inter-Provincial Championships when our dancers Gillian O’Leary and Allison Conchie were joined by our friend Ashleigh Nesbitt from England to perform the choreography ‘By The Water’s Edge’. When the dance is started the now Allison Grace Conchie is seen on the left, the now Ashleigh Osborn is on the right and Gillian O’Leary is the small one, in the middle. Hopefully we’ll be adding a few more video’s in the future but today we’ll keep it just to one.

By The Water’s Edge

SA Tattoo 2012

South African Tattoo 2012:

7-9 September 2012 were special days in Johannesburg, when the talented performers took to the SA Tattoo esplanade to show South Africa the vast variety of entertainment that our people have to offer.

This year the Tattoo exhibited the Massed Pipes and Drums, Highland Dancers accompanied by Haggis and Bong, Air Force Band, Irish Dancers, Harley Davidson Display team, SA Military Health Services and SA Army Pace Sticks Team. The International act of the show was the exciting Talenhodest Gym Team from Denmark.

One of the O’Leary Studio dancers, Caylee O’Leary, took part in this magical event. Unfortunately she wasn’t one of the Highland Dancers who accompanied Haggis and Bong, but was part of the Massed Pipes and Drums as one of the Pretoria Caledonia drummers.

Pretoria Caledonia Pipe Band were joined in the Massed Pipes and Drums by the Transvaal Scottish Regiment Pipe Band, The African Skye Pipe Band, Glen Allen Pipe Band, The SA Irish Regiment Pipe Band and Sandton Scottish Pipe Band.

The Massed Pipes and Drums played Meeting of the Waters, Highland Cradle Song and Glasgow week in Hamburg for the March On. Highland Cradle Song is a Slow March so the Massed Pipes and Drums had the challenge of slow marching, playing and trying to keep upright at the same time.

For the formation they played All the Blue Bonnets over the Border, Glendaural Highlanders, Molly Connell, Castle Rock Celeidh, Paddy’s Epic Journey, Erin Shore, Clocks and The Final Fling. In celebration of the Transvaal Scottish Regiment’s 110 anniversary, the Pipers formed the shape of  the number 110.

The March Off tune was Atholl Highlanders, the Transvaal Scottish Regiment’s regimental march (song, tune?).

The Finale held some very special moments with songs such as Wheeping, Celtic Crest, The National Anthem, Highland Cathedral and the inspiring Jurassic Park Theme Tune.

For some awesome Photos of the Tattoo visit Sandra Roniger’s Facebook Album titled South African Tattoo.

YouTube Clips:

• City Press Online: SA Tattoo 2012
• 2012 South African Tattoo – South African Flag
• 2012 South African Tattoo – Irish Dancing with music provided by Haggis and Bong – Please note that this is not Irish Dancing, it is Highland Dancing
• 2012 South African Tattoo: Finale
• SA Tattoo Harley Davidson Display Team