Jessie Phommavong, far left, competed in a provincial competition earlier this May. (Submitted/Jamie Killoran)
Highland dance

North Battleford dancer to compete in national highland dance championship

Jun 30, 2025 | 12:26 PM

For the first time in 24 years, a representative from the Battlefords area will perform to Irish fling and reel tunes on a national stage.

Eleven-year-old highland dancer Jessie Phommavong will compete at the ScotDance Canada Championship Series in Ottawa July 5 – 9. Getting to the big stage has been years in the making.

“My mom did it and she put me in when I was three,” said Phommavong.

“It’s really fun and I really like dancing and most of the people I compete against are my friends.”

This year, she danced four dances – the Fling, Sword, Seann Triubhas, and Reel – at the Saskatchewan Provincial Highland Dance Championships in mid-May but due to the 10 and under 12 age group category only having four dancers, rather than being named champion, she was named “Dancer of the day.”

“For it to be an actual championship, there needs to be six or more dancers in your category,” she said.

Her mom Jamie Killoran said those rules are set in Scotland and as such, the young dancer is dubbed First Representative and will be kicking up her heels with others from North America and around the world.

Jessie Phommavong (Submitted/Jamie Killoran)

“I was really excited, and I was on stage, we were getting our awards,” said Phommavong of the moment she learned she would be travelling to the nation’s capital.

Now she has her sights set on Ottawa.

“There’s a couple days of competition and then on the 6th, is the actual Canadian championship – so that’s the one that she’ll be competing in to see who’s the top in Canada,” explained Killoran.

As part of the trip preparations, the City of North Battleford provided grant funding for travelling purposes.

“We’re so excited,” said Mayor Kelli Hawtin, of the $100 grant.

“Whenever we get to have any local people representing us anywhere else, we’re excited, we’re happy to support them. It’s a small grant; it’s a small contribution but it helps in a big way.”

In addition to Phommavong competing, her sister Moira will also attend and take part in some of the other activities and competitions.

“There’s a special jig, and there’s the premiership event that we’re also going to do, so it’s the national dances and there are some choreography events that we might go and watch,” she said.

There will also be time to exchange pins.

“It’s one of the top highland dancing events in the year,” added Killoran of the world prestige.

“It makes me proud,” said Phommavong of being the first in over two decades to represent her North Battleford community.

julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

on BlueSky: juleslovett.bsky.social

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