Competitors from across Australia danced the long weekend away at the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre for the 73rd Annual Mount Gambier Highland Dancing Festival and Southern States Championship.
The event was hosted by the South Eastern National Dancing Association Inc committee and the adjudicators were Queensland’s Margaret Patison OAM and Louise Johnson and Judith Monteith OAM of New South Wales.
Dancing association president Margaret Reichelt OAM said the new Mount Gambier venue was ‘marvellous’.
“Everyone commented on it, and it was really, really good – very spectacular,” she said.
“We were down a little bit on competitor numbers but we sort of expected that because we had two years out with COVID so people are now starting to move again.
“The standards in the championships were very good, we had top dancers in all three groups.
“I was thrilled we attracted some of the best dancers from across Australia.”
Students from the local Margaret Cleves School of Dancing placed within the top three in the three age sections of the Southern States Championship against very strong competition.
Margaret Cleves School of Dancing student Agnes Sims won third in the 7-11 years, Laura Le Cornu placed third in the 12-15 years and Abbey Freebairn was the runner-up in the 16 years and over.
Freebairn, 18, also took home the Ridland Memorial Trophy for the highest points for a SENDA local dancer 13 years and over.
Meanwhile, Margaret Cleves School of Dancing students Anna Le Cornu finished sixth in the 7-11 years and Hailee Pearce fourth in the 16 years and over.
