Yellowknife (Aug 20/03) - Scottish dancing is proving popular in Yellowknife, according to Raycine Spence. Her highland dancing classes are filling up.

The traditional Scottish dances have been around for hundreds of years and are individually performed. "There are few group dances," Spence said.

A highland dance is typically no longer than two minutes, the longest perhaps being three.

"It's short bursts of power more than anything," she said.

A few of these popular dances are the Sword, Seann Truibhas and Highland Fling. In the highland, dancers wear kilts and their ghillies (dancing shoes).

In the national dance, boys wear plaid trousers and girls wear an aboyne.

"It's named after a town in Scotland where girls are not allowed to wear kilts," Spence said.

Traditionally, girls wore a skirt with a kilt apron. The aboyne was adapted from that.

Spence started dancing when she was 18 and competed across Canada and in Scotland. Although she started dancing late, she won a few trophies.

She noticed that there wasn't anybody teaching highland dancing when she moved up here eight years ago and started offering classes.

Over the past seven years, Spence has noticed that a lot of mothers start to dance so they can help their daughters practice.

"For a while, there was not a lot of dancing," she said. "I try to make it as much fun as possible."

Spence also helps the girls get ready for competitions down South.

She said that her students usually try to attend two to four competitions a year and get funding help from the NWT Highland Dance Association.

"We want to take a group to Scotland next August," Spence said.

Jessica Fournier has been dancing for the past seven years and competing for four.

"I like performing at the Robbie Burns Night every year (that the NWT Pipe Band puts on)."

Spence said that her favourite thing about dancing is watching the kids after they've competed.

"Seeing them pull off the dance they couldn't do the day before is the best," she said. "Or when a kid comes back with a trophy."