CHLOE SCOTT Class of 2009 Interviewed by Michelle Noble | October 2017
C
hloe had been patiently waiting all spring long when the letter she’d been hoping for arrived - she
had been chosen to be a part of the International Highland Dance Team 2017! This huge accomplishment meant she would be travelling to Russia in August to dance at the annual Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival in Moscow’s Red Square. Chloe’s passion for dance found its way back into her life after graduating from Mulgrave, and she has learned to eloquently balance this passion with her academic career. In this week’s Alumni Spotlight, Chloe shares her experience and relays what it was like working at Mulgrave and building an Alumni Relations programme for the school.
ABOVE: Chloe with the International Scottish Highland Dance Team in the Grand Kremlin Palace.
You have recently returned from
European Union Celtic Pipes and
in October 2016, and I worked
performing at one of the most
Drums.
with my teacher to ensure I was
vibrant and memorable festivals in the world with the International Scottish Highland Dance Team. Can you tell us a little bit about this festival and what it was like performing in the Kremlin?
The show ran for 10 nights, and I had butterflies in my stomach every night as we skipped onto the square towards St. Basil’s Cathedral, accompanied by the European Union Celtic Pipes and Drums mass band.
The Spasskaya Tower International
We also had the opportunity to
Military Music Festival (Kremlin
perform on three national television
Military Tattoo) is held annually in
spots, march in a parade, and have a
Moscow’s Red Square. This year, the
private tour and photoshoot at the
festival celebrated its 10th year, and
Grand Kremlin Palace.
included over 2000 cast members from around the world. Performance groups included military bands from eight different countries, including Egypt, Italy, Belarus, Yerevan Drums (all-female drum line) from Armenia, Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland, Taoist Monks, and the
as prepared as possible. With it being an international call, we were required to submit audition tapes online, showcasing dances the Dance Director had set. I filmed and submitted my audition tape in January, crossing my fingers that the work I had put into the process would pay off. In March, I received an email that read “You’ve been chosen to be a part of the International Highland Dance
That sounds like an incredible
Team 2017! Congratulations!” I was
experience! The team you danced
ecstatic to have been selected to
with in Russia was put together
join the team, comprised of 48
specially for the show. What was the
dancers from Canada, USA, the
audition process like and how were
UK, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
you selected to perform?
Australia, South Africa, and Russia. We travelled as invited guests of the
The call out for auditions came
Russian government to Moscow in
Highland Dance Team is my biggest accomplishment as a dancer, while a close second would be dancing on the Vancouver School of Highland Dance Choreography team and tying for 2nd place at the Canadian Championship Series in Winnipeg in 2016. Has your dancing career enabled you to travel? Highland Dancing has enabled me to travel both nationally and internationally. Moscow and Halifax, where I danced on the Irish and Highland Dance Team in the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, are highlights. As a competitor, I have regularly travelled to cities across BC, Alberta, and Western Washington. What is the difference between Scottish Highland Dancing and Irish Dancing? This is a question both Irish Dancers ABOVE: Chloe competing at the Championship Series in Winnipeg in 2016.
and Highland Dancers get asked a lot! Both are complex step dances.
August to rehearse as a team for
in Moscow and began six-hour long
In Highland Dance, we use arm
the first time, just four days before
rehearsals, as I felt strong and ready
positions similar to that which you
opening night.
to give it my all.
would see in ballet, whereas Irish
Once selected, what did you have to
What would you say is your biggest
do to prepare for the show?
accomplishment in your dancing
Shortly after submitting my audition
career?
tape, I had an old injury flare up, and
While my main focus is my
I wasn’t certain I’d be able to dance.
professional career, Highland
I spent a lot of time in physio and
Dance is a fun and unique hobby
yoga and worked hard to maintain a
that has led to many opportunities
high level of fitness without risking
I’ve been able to take advantage of
further injury or inducing pain. The
over the past nine years. Dancing
care I took paid off when I arrived
on the International Scottish
dancers keep their arms stiff to their sides. Highland Dance is traditionally accompanied by bagpipes, and is rooted in military history. Many people differentiate Highland Dance as ‘the one where you dance over swords’! Though you danced a lot as child, you shifted your focus from dance to your academic studies during your
senior years at Mulgrave. What re-
studies, make new friends, and keep
programme. Why was this
ignited that spark once you were in
active. During my first semester,
something you were interested in
university?
Highland Dance was being offered
pursuing?
My sisters and I danced competitively while in elementary school. When I came to Mulgrave in Middle School, I continued to dance recreationally, but my parents really encouraged me to explore all the new opportunities available to students at Mulgrave. I am grateful that they did, as I have such fond memories of performing in school musicals, participating in service learning and outdoor education
through the student rec centre. I loved being back in class so much that I made the decision to return to competition. I have since had the privilege of training with a wonderful team of dancers at the Vancouver School of Highland Dance (VSHD). I’ve found good company in my fellow dancers; there are many dancers who have continued dancing through their twenties and thirties for reasons similar to mine.
Mulgrave School holds a very special place in my heart, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to return to Mulgrave and be part of the creation of a programme I see immense value in. I had spoken with graduates of other private and IB schools, where Alumni Relations programmes thrive based on a long school history. Being a young school, I saw (and continue to see) an Alumni Relations programme as beneficial to both
trips, and developing leadership
After studying at SFU in
alumni and the school as our school
skills as a Service Action Council
Communications and English
community continues to grow and
member and Prefect.
Literature, you took on the position
evolve. By providing a platform to
of Alumni Relations Coordinator
create and sustain relationships
and spearheaded the establishment
beyond graduation, I think there is
of Mulgrave’s first Alumni Relations
amazing potential in the networking
At Simon Fraser University, I was seeking a way to balance my
ABOVE: Chloe at the Alumni Winter Social with her classmates, in 2016.
CHLOE SCOTT
programme, or learn about a career they are interested in pursuing! I see the Alumni Spotlights as an opportunity to bridge the current Mulgrave community with the alumni community. What do you do in your current role for the Sea to Sky School District? Currently, I work at the Sea to Sky School District, which stretches from Furry Creek to D’Arcy, BC. I serve as both the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools and the Communications Officer. My roles are challenging and dynamic, and, similar to my role at Mulgrave, they provide me the opportunity to foster positive connections among internal and external stakeholders. One of the highlights of my role is producing a bi-monthly column in the Whistler Question newspaper. Topics on which I have written include BC’s new curriculum, specialised programming including an Environmental Stewardship course, and initiatives put forth by the school district’s Aboriginal Leadership student group. ABOVE: Backpacking in Pemberton Valley with Brandon Pao, Ashley Peet and Nima Jelveh (Class of 2009).
Favourite Mulgrave moment? ZoomFest was something I looked
and mentorship opportunities
enjoyed connecting, and in some
forward to every year - arguably
that can be established through an
cases, reconnecting, with former
more than any holiday break!
Alumni community.
students and learning about their
Completing the Juan de Fuca trail
university experiences, chosen
as part of the Duke of Edinburgh
career paths, and adventures. I
programme is also a cherished
believe that through recognition
memory and an experience that I
Coincidentally, my favourite part of
of alumni, current students might
attribute my love of backpacking to.
my role at Mulgrave was working
be inspired to try something new,
with alumni on the Spotlight Series. I
apply to a certain university or
What was your favourite part of your role at Mulgrave?
Chloe Scott, 2017