Stepdancing / Highland Dancing
The Studio at the Emerald Community Centre will be busy again this fall with various classes aimed at children aged 3 and up. Marlys Hamilton-MacLaren, Director of Dance, will be teaching the Stepdancing and non-competitive Highland Dancing. Classes will be starting soon. For more information and registration fees, please visit www.sometsetsteppers.ca
Marlys began dancing at the early age of 3 ½ years . Her first teacher was Judy Johnston of the Melody Isle Dance School in Kinkora. At this time, Marlys was introduced to dance competitions, festivals, and many new dances. She began by learning step, tap, and some highland. Marlys made her first TV appearance at the age of 8, on the Christmas Daddies Telethon in Moncton. From there she continued her dance lessons at Shirley Burke’s Celtic Studio in Charlottetown every Monday night. It was here that she began taking her BATD Exams and performing at Confederation Centre and Trophy Day Festivals. Also while with Shirley Burke, Marlys performed at the Canada Winter Games in Charlottetown . Marlys went as high as she could in her BATD Exams, but at the time she was too young to get her Teachers Associates. While with Shirley, she took both Step and Tap.
She then decided to come a bit closer to home and began highland dancing at the College of Piping in Summerside where her Highland Instructor was Barbara Brown-Yorke. This is where she received choreography training to have the ability to make up dances on her own.
She performed with them at such events as Bridgefest with MacKeel and Rawlin’s Cross, Tattoos, Jubilee Theatre, Christmas Daddies in Moncton, and the 1996 East Coast Music Awards with Ashley MacIsaac and Mary Jane Lamond. Marlys has also shared the stage with Richard Wood, Sons of Maxwell, The Rankin Family, Nathan Condon, Patricia Murray and others.
Then Marlys was asked to join a show called Ireland Meets Scotland, with two performances a week, one at BIS in Charlottetown, and one night at Orwell Corner. She was involved in this show for 3 years, with fiddlers Colin and Tristan Jeffrey, Kevin Jeffrey, Brittany Banks, Gwyneth Jeffrey and Amanda Mark.
Since Marlys has been dancing for the past 27 years, Marlys began teaching step dancing on her own where she started up the Somerset Steppers Dance Studio in Kinkora and Emerald ,where she plans to keep teaching for the present time. Marlys loves teaching dance because she finds it is a way of expressing yourself and to pass on the cultures of the generations passed down. Dance is a wonderful experience! Marlys has always enjoyed being on stage and performing. Marlys's gracefulness shows in her choreographies which mostly include a bit of Step, Highland and Irish Dancing.
Marlys works full time at ADL Foods in Summerside, PEI and also teaches piano lessons and got married on September 1, 2007.
Marlys received her Members Certification from the BATD (British Association of Teachers of Dancing) in May 2009, and passed with a "Highly Commended" on her exam. This now certifies Marlys as a licensed teacher
She then decided to come a bit closer to home and began highland dancing at the College of Piping in Summerside where her Highland Instructor was Barbara Brown-Yorke. This is where she received choreography training to have the ability to make up dances on her own.
She performed with them at such events as Bridgefest with MacKeel and Rawlin’s Cross, Tattoos, Jubilee Theatre, Christmas Daddies in Moncton, and the 1996 East Coast Music Awards with Ashley MacIsaac and Mary Jane Lamond. Marlys has also shared the stage with Richard Wood, Sons of Maxwell, The Rankin Family, Nathan Condon, Patricia Murray and others.
Then Marlys was asked to join a show called Ireland Meets Scotland, with two performances a week, one at BIS in Charlottetown, and one night at Orwell Corner. She was involved in this show for 3 years, with fiddlers Colin and Tristan Jeffrey, Kevin Jeffrey, Brittany Banks, Gwyneth Jeffrey and Amanda Mark.
Since Marlys has been dancing for the past 27 years, Marlys began teaching step dancing on her own where she started up the Somerset Steppers Dance Studio in Kinkora and Emerald ,where she plans to keep teaching for the present time. Marlys loves teaching dance because she finds it is a way of expressing yourself and to pass on the cultures of the generations passed down. Dance is a wonderful experience! Marlys has always enjoyed being on stage and performing. Marlys's gracefulness shows in her choreographies which mostly include a bit of Step, Highland and Irish Dancing.
Marlys works full time at ADL Foods in Summerside, PEI and also teaches piano lessons and got married on September 1, 2007.
Marlys received her Members Certification from the BATD (British Association of Teachers of Dancing) in May 2009, and passed with a "Highly Commended" on her exam. This now certifies Marlys as a licensed teacher