0215-HighlandDancing-CLO-PEC
© Paul Conrad/The Bellingham Herald - Mackenzie Whisker of Surrey, B.C., left, and Brielle Thibaudeau of Langley, B.C., practice their Strathspey & 1/2 Tulloch dance moves as Kate Bonar, all 9, of Surrey, B.C., observes their moves backstage during the Celtic Arts Highland Dancing Championship at Syre Center on the campus of Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Wash., on Sat afternoon Feb 14, 2015.
Competition chair Heather Richendrfer says nearly a hundred dancers from as far away as eastern Canada participated in the event sponsored by the Celtic Arts Foundation and the Clan Heather Dancers. The championship is sanctioned by the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing and is only one of two held in the Pacific Northwest. Winners in each division receive a cash prize and a hand blown glass heart-shaped award.