About TAHD
Welcome to The Aussie Highland Dancer blog!
Today I will explain a little bit about myself and why I started the Aussie Highland Dancer.
For those of you that are new here, or don’t know me, I am Jessica - a Highland dancer, teacher, photographer, videographer and seamstress. Highland dance has been a part of my life since I first started taking lessons at the age of 6 and is something I am very passionate about, as you will see!
Since starting lessons, I have sat all the SDAA (Scottish Dancing Association of Australia) exams from Primary to Teacher and am a Premier-level dancer, having started competing in 2020.
After sitting my Teachers exam in 2023, I started Highland Rhythm Milton, the southern location of our studio - Highland Rhythm Dance Academy. In 2025, I combined my passion for sewing with Highland Dance to create Tide & Tartan - where I sell aboynes, jig dresses and more.
The Aussie Highland Dancer (TAHD) was created in 2022 as a way to help other Highland dancers and also to share fun dance videos from beautiful locations around the world! My goals for TAHD are:
1) To introduce Highland dance to a larger audience.
Many people around the world may not know of or be familiar with Highland dance. My goal is to put more videos out there to hopefully reach more people who may be interested in learning this beautiful and ancient dance form.
2) To motivate and inspire Highland dancers to love and find joy in their dance.
As well as reaching people who have not heard of it before, I hope TAHD’s video can inspire dancers around the world, both those who love the sport and dance regularly as well as those who maybe have not realised what an amazing opportunity they have in learning Highland dance.
3) To help both dancers and non-dancers learn more about Highland dance.
From the history of Highland dance to how to pin a plaid or dancer specific stretch routines, the goal for TAHD is to put out videos that are educational and can help both dancers and non-dancers learn more about this lovely Scottish dance form.
On The Aussie Highland Dancer YouTube Channel, there are lots of different dance videos. Some of these are the traditional Highland or National dances, such as the Fling, Lilt and Hornpipe. Other dances are not traditional dances but are choreographies. These are dances that have been put together using traditional Highland steps to modern music. Some of the choreographies were created by other Highland dancers, while most of them were created by myself (choreographer is stated in the video description).
Also featured on TAHD are some videos from Highland Rhythm Milton performances and concerts.
Head over to TAHD YouTube channel to learn more!
Happy Dancing!