Spokane's School of Dance

Offering Traditional Scottish Highland Dance Lessons

Spokane's School of Dance prides itself in offering Traditional Highland

Dance Lessons by certified instructors. We currently have two instructors

teaching at our dance studio.

 

Right now, we are only offering Scottish Highland Dance lessons.

We have offered other styles of dance in the past but we

currently do not have any other styles offered.

Our Instructors
Marie (left) and Brielle (right) in Scotland in 2007

Marie Grimes

Marie Grimes has had 28+ years of dance experience and 23+ years of dance experience in Highland Dancing with 14+ years of teaching experience. Marie was a student of Elizabeth Coyle and danced with the Spokane Valley Highland Dancers as she grew up.

She began her teaching career with the Shadle Highland Dancers in 1997, where she continued to teach for 8 years until one of her old students, Brielle began to take over for her. Marie founded the Northwest Highland Dancers in 2002 with only 3 students and today the numbers of students are approaching near 50. Marie Grimes received her teaching certificate for Highland Dancing at the age of 18 through the British Association Teachers of Dancing located in the United Kingdom.

She is a member of FUSTA (Federation of the United States Teachers and Adjudicators) and the SOBHD (Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing). She also served as the Delegate for the NW Region of FUSTA from 2006-2009.

Marie successfully competed throughout the U.S., Canada and Scotland until the age of 13, at which time she turned her attention to performance, running/organizing competitions and taking medal tests through the BATD to work her way towards her teaching certificate. Marie received her Member Teaching Certificate for Highland Dance in 1997. She continued her pursuit of certifications and now also holds her Fellow Teaching Certificate for Highland Dance and Member Teaching Certificate for Scottish National Dance. 

In the fall of 2007, she passed her judges exam through the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing, which enables her to judge all over the world. Currently she runs and organizes an indoor competition held in the fall in Spokane, runs the dancing competition for the Spokane Highland Games, and is also preparing for the United States Championship for Highland Dancing which will be held in Spokane in July of 2011.

 

Marie's goal is that each child reach their potential in highland dancing and have fun while learning this traditional form of dancing. At Spokane's School of Dance, Marie teaches all of the  younger beginner dancers ages 3-14, as well as all of the advanced students of all ages.

Brielle Balazs

Brielle has been dancing for 19+ years and took up Scottish Highland Dance at the age of 13. Dancing on the Shadle Highland Team eventually becoming co-captain, captain and has been the instructor for the team since the since the fall of 2006.

 

Brielle competed in the Seattle area and other ares in Washington, Oregon, Canada and well as Scotland in 2004 where she received 1st and 2nd places. She also placed in the Northwest Regional Championship as a Premier level highland dancer.

 

In 2009, she received her Member's teaching certificate through the British Association Teachers of Dancing. Over the past 5+ years, she has been teaching along side Marie Grimes.

 

Brielle is looking forward to the many new students at Spokane's School of Dance. Currently at SSD she teaches the Shadle Highland Dance Team and teaches the teenage beginner classes.