Highland Dance and the Ulster-Scots Revival
Although Scottish Country Dance has been a part of the community and competitive dance scene in Ulster for many years, Highland Dance is a relatively new phenomenon; it arrived with the Ulster-Scots revival in the late 1990's through the Belfast based Bright Lights Dance Group.

This blossomed greatly when funding became available from the Ulster-Scots Agency to finance teachers to travel from Scotland on a weekly basis. To enhance this scenario even further, came local dance teacher Gillian Jones. Gillian received a grant from ACNI in 2001 for teacher training and in 2002 she ran a Highland Dance Project at South Belfast Cultural Society for a year (grant aided by the Arts Council N.I. and Ulster Scots Agency). By 2003 classes were taking place across the Province and a healthy expansion of the culture ensued.

Northern Ireland's first Highland Dance Conference
In order to facilitate early discussions on the creation of a formal development strategy for Highland Dance in Ulster, a conference was held in Carrickfergus over the weekend 21/22 March 2003 with participation of representatives of all the dance clubs and the South Belfast Cultural Society (SBCS) run project. The conference decided to establish a steering committee to further dance development.

The Alliance was set up as a result of the Agreements entered into at the Conference. The affiliated groups share the same experiences relating to availability of dance teachers, pipers, competition, improving standards, training volunteers to manage competitions and achieving a critical mass of dancers to make highland dance more easily sustainable.

Highland dance took off across the province which necessitated us in 2005 to engage another full time instructor Miss Kimberley Colliar from Scotland.

The benefits of Highland Dance
Growth of Highland Dance in Northern Ireland is continuing at an incredible rate and we are proud to be involved in this important work. The Alliance is primarily engaged in promoting dance but it is equally aware that participation in dance will deliver other benefits to the young dancers. These will include an appreciation of dance as an art form, the development of self-discipline, the opportunity for young people to socialise and develop social skills within a safe environment and engage in a worthwhile activity.

Highland Dance offers young people a chance to:-
• develop self-confidence and self-esteem
• learn to respect the efforts of their colleagues
• an opportunity to travel and compete
• an appreciation of traditional culture and heritage
• develop athleticism and physical co-ordination
• develop their mental ability to learn and replicate complex dance movements.

Internal structures
The Ulster-Scots Dance Alliance has:
- a steering committee of 17 volunteers, with office bearers in place
- a constitution
- a child protection policy
- audited financial statements
- membership statement
- equal opportunities policy

We are also affiliated members of:
- Community Arts Forum
- Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA)
Youth Action for Northern Ireland

Office Holders:
Chairman: John Deane
Vice-Chair: William Burns
Treasurer: Clayre Evans
Secretary: Laura Tweedie