On Wednesday July 4, 2018, after five days of competition at the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, surrounded by close to 1,000 dancers, Aeron Boivert 8, Shaelyn Whaley 8, and Tristan Lehr 9, came back with big smiles on their faces.
The three Quinte West kids, who are instructed by Highland Dance teacher Jackie Garland, presented their choreography from the Astounding Heights dance studio owner, Alicia Sewell, alongside different Highland dance styles.
Shaelyn placed 6th in her Seann Truibhas style and came back with a medal. Tristan placed 9th in the Sword dance, 8th in his Flora, 7th in the Seann Truibhas, and 6th in the Lilt, therefore coming back with four medals.
Unfortunately, Highland dancing is not as popular as it once was. The Association has declared that the once famous dancing style is falling short of dancers. In an effort to counter this trend, Astounding Heights has decided to offer a full summer of free Highland and Irish dancing classes for all the adults and kids who would like to try or learn. The famous school is located on 64 Lorne Ave. in Trenton.