The Dancing School has developed from modest beginnings in the small town of Moneyreagh, Northern Ireland, progressing from just four pupils in 2007 to now host over 100 dancers in various venues and online.
The school offers classes, the opportunity for dancers to become RSOBHD competitors, certified SDTA examinations and many performance opportunities to boost young people's confidence, experience and team comradery.
Competitively, the dancers have celebrated numerous Championship victories in the past 17 years and have been successful at National & International Competitions. Claiming 23 Ulster Championship Titles is a record we are very proud of.
Senior dancers are encouraged to participate in continued professional development as we offer theory lessons, study groups and many training opportunities including workshops and first-aid training. To date, we have trained 12 Associate Teachers.
Highly prestigious performances for the troupe have included The Belfast Tattoo, The Cross Border Orchestra's Peace Proms and The United Arab Emirates National Day Celebrations. You can also find us entertaining audiences at community events, local nursing homes and charity fundraisers.
Principal - Michelle Johnston
Michelle’s love of Highland dancing gained priority during her teenage years following training in all styles of dance, drama and singing. Competitively, Michelle has won the Ulster Highland Dancing Championship eight times and gained top six prizes at National and International events including the All England, UK, European, North American & Sacramento Valley Highland Dancing Championships.
Highlights include being the first dancer from Northern Ireland to qualify for the finals of the World Highland Dancing Championships in Dunoon. As an adult dancer, Michelle has performed with the Alisa Craig Highland Dancers and the Tattoo Dance Company. Travels included stadium and arena tours in Switzerland, Germany, Norway & USA. The largest event being the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo & while there, Michelle was delighted to perform for Prince William and Prince Charles at Holyrood Palace.
Professionally, Michelle is a Fellow of the S.D.T.A. (Scottish Dance Teachers’ Alliance), an adjudicator with the R.S.O.B.H.D. (Royal Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing) and head delegate for the N.I.H.D.A. (Northern Ireland Highland Dancing Association). Michelle has choreographed for many large scale productions including the Belfast International Tattoo, the Cross-Border Orchestra of Ireland’s Peace Proms, BBC TV productions and the Queen’s Garden Party at Stormont.
Associate Teacher - Leah McIlwrath
Leah McIlwrath, has been a loyal member the Michelle Johnston School of Highland Dance since the age of 7. Only one year after joining classes, Leah competed in her first competition where she was delighted to win the overall trophy. This was the first of many successes as Leah travelled across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe for the love of dancing.
Leah began competing at Premier level in October 2015 and claimed her first Championship win in the following summer. Since then, Leah has retained the title of Ulster Champion for the successive three years in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, there were no Ulster Championships held in 2020 or 2021, but Leah was delighted to return and claim top prize of Adult Champion in 2023.
Leah has progressed her technical skill by participating in theory exams from age 11 and always achieving the highest "Honours" result. Due to these impressive exam results, Leah has been nominated several times to participate in the SDTA's (Scottish Dance Teachers' Alliance) UK & European Scholarship which is held in Motherwell, Scotland. In 2018, Leah was runner-up at this prestigious contest of talented competitors.
Leah has been a valued team member of the Belfast Tattoo Dance Company, performing to sold out audiences in the Belfast SSE Arena in 2015, 2016 & 2017. From 2017, Leah has also been a lead dancer with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland in their Peace Proms event in venues across the UK, Ireland and even New York.
Leah passed her Associate Highland Dance Teacher exam with distinction in November 2021. She looks forward to continue her teaching career this year with several class groups. The young dancers really admire and adore Leah.
Associate Teacher - Rebekah Keery
Rebekah Keery has been a valued part of the Michelle Johnston School of Highland Dancing from the age of 7. Just a year after starting classes, Rebekah competed in her first competition and by the age of 11 had progressed to the Premier category.
Rebekah has plenty of experience competing in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Europe and Canada and has been extremely successful in winning medals and overall trophies. Being crowned Ulster Champion in 2015, 2017 & 2018 was specially memorable.
Rebekah has had the privilege of performing with the Belfast Tattoo and the Tattoo Dance Company (Scotland) which has advanced her confidence and passion for choreography in front of large crowds of people. These teams have led Rebekah on travels to Norway, Switzerland & Austrailia, meeting lots of new friends along the way!
Rebekah has also had the privilege of dancing with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland. This has allowed Rebekah to travel all over the south of Ireland, Liverpool and Belfast, performing solo and team choreography in front of large audiences.
Since reaching Premier, Rebekah has been taking part in Theory Grade Examinations with the SDTA (Scottish Dance Teachers' Alliance) and was delighted to pass her Associate Teaching Qualification with Distinction at the young age of 16. Rebekah has also had the privilege of being nominated several times for SDTA UK & European Highland Dancing Scholarships with the highlight of placing Runner-up in the choreography element.
Rebekah looks forward to passing her experience onto all current and new dancers.
