Whoaaaa…We’re Halfway there…
June?! Half way finished with the year? June marks month number six of a conscious effort to discover and experience our Scottish American roots. This month, it’s about the lessons learned in the discipline of Highland Dance.
READ MAY ADVENTURES WHEN WE DELVED INTO HIGHLAND DANCE WORLD
June was a busy month for the family. Madison Bella was representing us all as a page for the Daughtersof the American Revolution Continental Congress in Washington DC. I’m super excited for her and this tremendous opportunity. There is a fair bit of Scottish American roots in DAR too! Josh was out on the road working on a TV show and so it was Sage and I who ventured down to the San Diego Scottish Festival for her second Highland Dance Competition. She danced the Fling, the Sword, the Sean Tribuhas (pronounced Shawn Trews) and she debuted her Flora in her new National outfit.
SEE MORE STORIES ON DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION
The Dances
The Fling she took third place in. This was great since in the first competition she didn’t place at all with the Fling. The second dance, the Sword was a bitter sweet lesson. Sage, like all children, has a tendency to look up and look at mom. When dancing the Sword Dance however, it’s important to keep attention on the swords one is dancing over and around, because you know, they are swords!
Well, she looked up at mom and guess what? Kicked the sword. This led to her being flustered… and now with a sword slightly askew, kicked it a second time. Needless to say, Sage didn’t place at all in sword. She was disqualified. It was a sad and tearful moment when she came off the stage but important lessons were learned. Eyes and concentration must be on what is at hand. Being present and in the moment is key to dance, well life really, but dancing over swords for sure.
Lessons Learned
The second lesson (and this one I am really excited for) is that winning or losing does not affect the love given. We (mom, coach, coach’s mom, dance friend) rallied around her. She had her moment of frustration sure, but then, realizing the world was not ending, cleared her head for the next dances.
SEE A YEAR OF GREGOR ADVENTURES HERE
We were proud of her for finishing the dance and truth be told, if not for the mistake, she would have taken first in sword. Tough lesson but a necessary one. The next dance was the Sean Tribuhas. Sage glanced over at me and then quickly caught herself as the music started. She fixed her eyes on the gym scoreboard and began the dance. Guess what? She took first place.
A New Dance
The last dance was a brand new one. Sage has been learning the Flora for about three and a half weeks with her coach. She debuted her Flora and her National outfit. The white dress was lovely. The plaid (pronounced played) she borrowed from her coach Emma was beautiful as was the brooch she borrowed to pin it down. The story behind the Flora is a beautiful one as Flora MacDonald helped the bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the disaster in Culloden. (If you have watched Outlander, you know all about Culloden). The dance is a tribute to the bravery of Flora MacDonald.
Sage fixed her eyes straight ahead, she focused on the moment, danced, and… took first place.
Awards and Accolades
The awards were given out and congratulations and goodbyes were given. It was the first time Sage had to congratulate other people for winning and the loss of the sword (which meant the loss of the overall trophy) still stung a little. I was really proud of her! For me, she won something far more valuable then a trophy. More then just learning about Scottish American roots, she is learning legit valuable life lessons! Good sportsmanship is something I wish more kids DID learn. (I’m not a fan of everyone gets a trophy…I’m of the you have to earn it camp).
Surprise
I began to put things away and pack up, and suddenly her number was called once more to the stage, along with two others. The three dancers took to the stage, I stood there all perplexed, and the announcer explained. The judges picked one dancer for each age group in the Beginners category and wanted to give them ‘Honorable Mention’. These are the dancers that the judges felt were the most promising for a bright dancing future. They were awarded $25 each and a round of applause and the smile that graced Sage’s face could not have made me happier. WOW! What a beautiful acknowledgement and encouragement! Kind of loving this Scottish American world!
We ended the day visiting the Clan tents (a fine way to plug in to Scottish American roots) and found the MacGregor tent. There we met a fellow MacGregor that runs the Western region chapter. Sage and I drove home talking about the experiences of the day. We celebrated with ice cream (because all lessons should be debriefed with ice cream) and when we got home, played with Bailey and of course, sent photos to all the family. It was a beautiful June.
Royal Is Our Race
In the end a loss sometimes ends up being a bigger win, so we straighten our crown and move on. That’s really at the heart of being a Gregor I believe. The Clan motto is ‘Royal is Our Race.’ It isn’t a brag, but rather a responsibility. Our ancestors once wore crowns and carried the weight that went with it. I think when I started this path of ancestry discovery I just thought it was really cool to know we had a really bad ass bloodline.
Six months later, I’m really starting to understand where the pride comes from. Being involved in Scottish cultural going ons there is a deep sense of pride that truly is soul stirring. I’m so grateful for the Highland Dance journey and for the lessons Sage is learning. They will take her far in life. I’m also grateful for the Scottish American community and the things Josh, Madison and I are exposed to and learning. So six months of adventuring into all things Gregor is complete and we move on to the next six… Ard Choille!
One Year Later (Update)
We returned one year later (2019) and Sage competed as a Premier (highest level of dancing) She didn’t place first in every dance but she placed first in sword and that was her goal. Sage did well and took home the aggregate/overall trophy… next stop is Nationals!
Sister Love 
SEE TWELVE MONTHS OF ADVENTURES IN DISCOVERING SCOTTISH AMERICAN ROOTS HERE
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Disclaimer: I realize that this blog entry is pretty much all about Sage. Well, she’s cute and the camera likes her 😉 Plus I was all hot and sweaty and in ‘Mom schlep stuff around’ mode. Not the cutest.
On to July!
Congratulations to Sage! That’s interesting to know about Scottish dancing. I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland and I’m hoping to see this type of tradition there.
Oh well there are spectacular dancers there! In August there will be world championships. Sage’s coach will be competing there. If you can, go there! Gorgeous!!
This is fabulous!!! I love that she had a positive attitude, set her goals, and worked to achieve. Let us know how she does in Nationals!! We’re rooting for her!!!
Thank you!!! We’re excited… packing today!
I love your Scottish adventures and Sage’s joy in dancing! I’d love to watch a competition. My Scottish roots go so deep. I’m headed to Scotland next week, in fact, to attend my clan’s gathering. I’m a member of Clan Maitland. I’ll get to meet my Chief for the first time and other distantly related kin and spend time in the family castle Thirlestane. I’m so excited to be staying for 11 days in Edinburgh and experiencing the Scottish culture.
Oh you should absolutely go see a dance competition or Highland games. They are so much fun!! I’m so excited for your trip! Tell me all about it when you get back. You’re going to have such great adventures!
What an exciting adventure! Love this!
Thank you! We are having fun!
Wow – this journey looks like it was a ton of fun. Congratulations to Sage on achieving her goal! 🙂
Yup! Nationals this week and then time to make new goals!
Love this!
I love this! What a fun family adventure!
It surprisingly is.
Awww. great post. I love the photos.
Thank you Heather!
I loved reading this. Your daughter is adorable. Keep inspiring her to continue to embrace her heritage.
That is the plan. Celebrate what makes her ‘her’ and use skills and knowledge for good 🙂
I love that you are keeping your ancestry alive! Congrats to Sage! I am sure she is so proud of her accomplishments!
It’s been a great ride!
With the advent of the DNA ancestry sites, learning more about where we come from has become so easy. But how cool to embrace the knowledge and learn more and more about your ancestry! The dancing is amazing. Keep sharing!
So true. It means a whole lot more when there are living experiences to bring it closer to home
Loved reading this! My family has Scottish roots!
Awesome! Do you know your clan? clans?
This is such a neat journey! I have enjoyed reading about it so far..
Such a great accomplishment! Sage’ hard work has paid off!! Congrats to her
Thank you Suzan! We hope she inspires others. She certainly inspires us.
What an exciting journey! Such a beautiful and talented little girl you have. I love all the lessons learned through this experience, about family heritage and life lessons. Never give up, keep you eye on the goal, and you are loved no matter what. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Ruth. That indeed is the takeaway. 🙂
That looks like such a fun experience!!
Beautiful pictures!! Congrats to Sage!!! How awesome is this!!!
so much fun!!!
My daughters were competitive dancers for years. What a fun and special time, especially in such a cool specialty! They learn so much from their performance growth, wins, losses, and they gain both confidence and humility! Enjoy every moment!
Thank you Kendra! You hit the nail on the head.
Great post! Looking forward to following the next six months of your family adventures. Gach durachd!
haha us too!
There’s a Scottish Festival near me in VA every year. I volunteered one year. So fun!!! Congrats to your girl !!
ooooooo there is a pretty healthy population of Scottish descendants there. I’d like to attend a festival in VA
Such interesting info – and Sage is totally adorable! Congrats!
Glad you enjoyed!
This is so cool! The whole journey is incredible in itself! I can’t wait to read more!
Thank you for following along Brittany!
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing with great detail!
Thank YOU for coming along!
This was awesome! Great Job Sage. Thanks for sharing.
Congrats to Sage! A great accomplishment!
Ah, why thank you! It’s a really fun journey for all of us!