If only considered peripherally, some things are instinctively dumped in the special category of the mind reserved for "Oh, I know what that is." Then when you finally look at them directly, you realize that you have absolutely no context to attach. This was the case for me and Celtic dance. If you had asked me a week ago what Celtic dance was, I would have said "It's Scottish and Irish dancing." If you had asked me what Scottish and Irish dancing were, I would have drawn an inarticulate blank. I would have fallen back on some childhood memory of cartoon characters dancing a poorly animated Irish jig, and I would have completely missed the essence of what continues to make Celtic dance a popular sport across the world today.

And if you ask me what Celtic dance is now? I will send you a few impressive YouTube links and direct all further questions to Kris Fulton. Kris embarked on Celtic dance twenty years ago when she joined a pipe band and dancers in Juneau. She danced with them for six years but was unable to find a similar group after she moved to Sitka. She did find the New Archangel dancers, Sitka's Russian style dance troupe, whom she was involved with until she retired in 2001. Kris observed as pipe bands came to Sitka for holidays and special events, such as the 4th of July and Alaska Day, and was inspired to form a group of local dancers that could be prepared to accompany visiting musicians.

Sitka Spruce Celtic Dancers was founded in the Blatchley Middle School gym in 2006. The participants? No students showed for the first day of class, so Kris decided to teach her two sons. And she was amazed to discover that they absolutely loved it. Soon her 8 year old and her 10 year old were bouncing around the gym with a friend's similarly aged son, and a couple of adults were hooked as well. The core group continued to grow into a Sunday fixture in the space available at the Sitka Studio of Dance, but this fall's opening of the dance studios in Allen Hall brought new potential for expansion. Twenty-one new students joined Celtic Dance this fall, including Kris' after-school programs and her adult class. 

What is it that makes Celtic dance so addictive? Kris thinks that it is the rhythm of the music and the healthy thrill of exertion. Celtic dance is rigorous. It requires a lot of strength to artfully pull off the jumps and a lot of coordination to achieve precision in steps. As a result, participants must actively work to get better. In Scotland, Highland dance is not a novelty pulled out for festivals but a truly competitive sport. And it feels like a sport, too. The typical Highland Fling requires 196 vertical jumps and its movement is the equivalent of running a mile.                 

Highland dance may have evolved in the 19th century, but it is by no means outdated. There is a lot of room for nontraditional choreography, which has allowed these dance lessons to be an excellent creative outlet for Kris. We can only hope that this creativity continues to grow as the Sitka Spruce Celtic Dancers do. If you would like to see this art in action, mark your calendar. Their next performance will be at Harrigan Centennial Hall on November 18 at 3pm.