CityView Magazine

70 | March/April 2015 bursts of power," Mooney said. "A lot of what we work on now, is getting that explosive power you look for in sports. It is really keeping you in good physical shape." According to Mooney, the dances were originally created for exclusively male dancers, though today they are more frequently per- formed by female dancers. "It is a very physically demanding dance and it is easier for men to do because when it was made, it was made for men, but it has changed with time," Stew- art said. "ere have been more women's steps created later, that are just as physically demanding, but have a bit more of a flow to them and a ballet influence." Like ballet, highland dancers frequently wear specialized shoes, called ghillies. e dance is typically accompanied by bagpipe and can be done in groups, or alone. Today the dances are oen seen in com- petitions. In fact, highland dancing is recognized as a sport by the Sport Council of Scotland, due in part to its intense physical demands. More evidence of the dance's roots as a training exercise for highland warriors, is that swords are fre- quently in use during the dance. Of course, since Mooney's class frequently involves children, the swords used are simply painted silver and black yardsticks. "ey're much lighter than real swords," Stewart said. Besides a great exercise, Mooney sees highland dancing as a great gateway for young people to learn more about a fasci- nating and centuries old history. "If you are born in North Carolina, then there is a very good chance you have some Scottish herit- age," Mooney said. "It is said that there are more people of Scottish descent in North Carolina than anywhere else in the world." In the 1700s, Fayetteville became a pop- Josie Samuelian ular settlement for Scots, many of whom were Gaelic-speak- ing highlanders. Fayetteville even had some famous Scottish revolutionaries call it home, including Flora MacDonald and Bonnie Prince Charlie, who moved to the area aer his Highlander army's defeat in 1746. e two lived in the area for five years, and as loyalists worked to raise the local Scots to fight for the King against the American Revolution. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, there was even a Scot- tish Dancer Club at Fayetteville High School. ey promoted their Scottish heritage and many girls auditioned for the club. Performing at the Miss FHS pageant and at the Homecom- ing and Sadie Hawkins Dance, the club was quite popular. Many women in Fayetteville that are active members of our community participated in Scottish dancing at FTS. Jerry Stein, who danced from 1957 to 1960, recalled performing at Grandfather Mountain at the Highland Games. Barbara Ciampa, a local optometrist, also danced in the club until she graduated in 1975. Former Scottish Dancer Sandy Edge, pic- tured here in her yearbook, recalled, "You had to know how to dance and we tried out to be a Scottish Dancer. We all wore the heavy wool kilts... the real thing. Our main event was performing at homecoming and when I won homecoming queen... I wore a kilt." Scottish dancing for Sandy's sister, Cindy Collins, was a little more than an aer-school activity. "I competed. I was in another group and took it very seriously as I was also a ballet dancer. I studied in Nova Scotia during the summer for six weeks. I woke up to bagpipes every morning." She continued, "I went to many competitions and I also taught Scot- tish dancing. My kilt was Stewart plaid - very red and very pretty." Collins picked the Scottish tartan plaid she liked the best because she is of Italian descent. Localite Carolyn Lancaster was a part of the Scottish Dancer group and remem- bers it fondly: Our community was founded by the Scottish people and the Scottish Dancers at Fayetteville High connected our school with history. When I was a sophomore, Scottish Dancers were coached by Mary McMillan. During the year, the fun of being a Scottish Dancer was the social interaction… and of course, the dancing. We performed during halime at the football games and we were also asked the year I participated, 1959, to perform at the State Fair in Raleigh. My friend Sandy Edge also remembers performing the "sword dance" … but that must have been too sophisticated for me! I was only a Scottish Dancer for one year before I decided to become a cheerleader. My future husband was a football player, so I became a cheerleader. I figured he would get to see me, if he tried. From the late 1950s to the 2010s…Scottish dancing is still thriving in Fayetteville. CV

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