Jillian MacLeod, Member SDTA
Jillian is a Champion Highland Dancer, an avid performer and a dedicated teacher. She began her dancing career at the age of 6 with Shelley Grant-Rovers and danced under her direction for 18 years. Jillian took her Associate Highland Exam at the age of 16 and started MacLeod School of Highland Dance the following spring. She took her Member Highland Exam in 2014 and passed with distinction.
Highlights of her teaching career include having her students dance and runner up the provincial level, and represent Nova Scotia at the Scotdance Canada Championship Series; a number of high aggregate awards at SDCCS events and watching her 14 oldest dancers compete in the large group choreography competition at SDCCS 2019 in Moncton NB. Jillian also planned a trip to Scotland in 2018 during which 17 MacLeod Dancers got to travel to and compete in Scotland, where every dancer came home with medals and memories to last a lifetime. She loves to see dancers improve and reach goals they believe to be unattainable - but the best part of teaching is our MacLeod dance family and seeing friendships develop and strengthen in the studio and beyond.
Highlights of her personal competitive career include representing Nova Scotia at the Canadian Inter-Provincial Championships on eight occasions, earning 9 Champion Titles including Atlantic Canada Closed Champion, Halifax Open Champion, and PEI Open Champion; as well as being 7th overall in the North American Open Championships. Jillian has also had success in choreography competitions, placing at the national level four times - the latest being with her good friend Taylor at a duet competition at SDCCS 2019 in which they competed with their own choreography.
On the performance side, Jillian was selected on three occasions to dance with the Canadiana Celtic Highland Dance Team performing at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2012 and the Basel Tattoo in 2016 & 2018. Jillian was also part of the 48 member international dance team that danced at the 10th Anniversary of the Kremlin Military Tattoo in Moscow, Russia. She was also a member of the Scotia Highland Dancers from the ages of 9-13; and was fortunate to travel and perform at Disney World in Florida.