Kirsten Earl (left) was presented with a RSCDS Branch Award by Chair, Jennifer Shearman, (right) on March 22nd at the Heather Ball in the Gizeh Temple. Kirsten is a familiar face at local socials and Balls. The Vancouver Branch was proud to support the nomination made by her fellow dancers in Terrace.
“Kirsten Earl has been a member of the Vancouver Branch of the RSCDS for many years, despite living in northern British Columbia, where she has been teaching and organizing Scottish Country Dance classes for over 20 years. She started teaching in Prince Rupert, then put on classes through the local Parks and Recreation when she moved to Terrace. Eventually classes moved to the local Knox United Church.
Over the years, Kirsten has introduced hundreds, if not thousands of people to Scottish Country Dance. She has taught a weekly class, mostly to adults, and she has taught SCD in the local schools. For a few years, family dances, called by Kirsten, were popular events with the youth of our city who were fundraising to go on trips with Canada World Youth. She has spearheaded Robby Burns Suppers and St. Andrews’s Day ceilidhs. She has led the Terrace Scottish Country Dancers on-stage at local telethons, Canada Day and BC Day celebrations, and Multicultural Potluck Dinners. She has taken us to the local folk music festivals and we have even sent demonstration teams to the BC Annual Dance Competition in Prince Rupert.
Kirsten has never given up on trying to make us elegant dancers, and has organized intensive weekend sessions with teachers brought in from Vancouver to achieve this goal. However, she also knows that above all, dancing has to be fun, and always kept it that way. Participation is the key in most of the public events we dance at. The “Demonstration Team” at these events is there more as “yeast” to get the audience on the dance floor than to show how it is done.
With this attitude, it is no wonder hat her Terrace Logger’s Jig is a great ceilidh dance.
Kirsten and her husband Ken are planning on moving to Salmon Arm next year. We are sure she will continue to help keep Scottish Country Dancing alive and well in British Columbia. We think she deserves recognition for her dedication in keeping it going in this remote part of the province.”