Edinburgh Tattoo offer dancing duo a chance to perform

Two Perth women will rehearsal full for six days before they perform dance in first ever Edinburgh Military Tattoo of Melbourne next month. Mt Hawthorn’s Rebecca Adamson (25) and Helena Valley’s Victoria Goode (19) will jointly perform five shows of Scottish highland dancing at Etihad Stadium from February 12-14. The traditional dance was learned by the women at young age in Kalgoorlie and continued when they shifted to Perth.

Ms Adamson said I studied tap, ballet and jazz when I joined university in Perth and I had to select what to continue but highland dancing provides a lot of opportunities to dance and travel. She added Highland dancing has offered me chances to visit the Netherlands, Switzerland and around Australia. Ms Adamson who is on the international Scottish highland dancing judging panel now, said she would take retirement from competitive dancing after the Melbourne event.

Ms Goode, who wants to continue competitive dancing, said they take training three times a week ahead of competitions and no one does it because it is so unique. She added once I watched Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland and I desired I will dance in it one day. She explained you set a lot of goals for yourself and you are achieving the goals if you are improving every time you dance.

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Edinburgh Tattoo popularity causes huge room dearth in Wellington

The suburbs outside the city will enjoy the benefits of this month’s Edinburgh Tattoo as a dire room shortage has hit Wellington, according to a local hospitality boss. People have heavily booked hotel rooms in the capital for the Weekend of February 20-21 as the event happens at the same date as other big events such as the Wine, Food and Craft Beer Festival, Round the Bays and the arrival of Victoria University first-year students. Hospitality Association Wellington president Jeremy Smith said huge demand for rooms reminds only to "the good old days when sevens was fully booked".

Smith said hotel owners would not be the only beneficiaries of the big weekend because I expect a fair number of people coming from Australia for the Tattoo. He expected the people unable to find hotel rooms in the city will try their luck with camper vans, or with motels and hotels outside the city. Some friends or relatives of Kiwis travelling to the tattoo in Wellington and its suburbs will host their guests. But situation is expected to improve with management of additional rooms available towards the start of the event.

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Military Tattoo artists to perform in Australia and New Zealand

A Military Tattoo performer’s group is departing for Australia and New Zealand for the promotion of the Edinburgh extravaganza. A farewell will be given by Tourism minister Fergus Ewing from the Tattoo's Scottish contingent to musicians as they train on Friday morning. More than 250,000 spectators have paid to enjoy performances in Australia and New Zealand. Tourism minister Fergus Ewing said an event like Edinburgh's Military Tattoo gets recognition for Scotland in the world and I am sure its presence in Australia and New Zealand will act as a superb advert for our country.

He added ancestral Scots will be attracted by the performance of this national institution and will serve to support the strengthening of links between our nations because it highlights our rich array of culture and our heritage of contemporary Scotland which we want to share with the world. Tattoo's producer, Brigadier David Allfrey said we were planning since three years and we have received support from many people of Scotland and across all the collaborating countries. It is only fourth time in the Tattoo’s history it will be staged outside from its home at Edinburgh Castle.

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Dancer Ella Phillips set to perform at Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Masterton teen Ella Phillips got “the best Christmas present ever" in the form of the chance to appear in one of the most celebrated cultural festivals of the world. Ella, a spirited Highland dancer has been selected to perform in the 2016 Edinburgh Military Tattoo to be held at Westpac Stadium next month. The Tattoo which is considered one of the foremost show of Scottish dance and music and military precision, will feature about 1200 performers at its platform.

 

Ella, a year 9 student at Solway College, will be one of the youngest Highland dancers in a team of 65 performing at the Tattoo from Scotland and all ove rthe New Zealand and is the only dancer belonging to Wairarapa. It is a gruelling task to prepare for such a esteemed task with Ella working hard to bring her fitness up to scratch and mum Jenny is saving every penny for her costume and food needs.

 

Ella began to learn Highland dancing at age 6 while she was living in Australia and she started taking classes with Scoti Dance in Wellington every Saturday while returning to Wairarapa. She has participated in both New Zealand and Australian championships and performed at the annual Turakina Highland Games. But performing at the Tattoo will be her biggest challenge, so she is spending most of her holidays committing the complicated choreography to memory and doing 12-hour rehearsals ahead of opening night.

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