Fife Highland dancers make history with Scottish championship top spot

Alexa Bianconcini (Glenrothes), Lucy Funnell (Coaltown of Balgonie), Murron Putka (Leven), Louise Barton (Cairneyhill) Kirstin Stewart (Leven) and Serena Bianconcini (Glenrothes) represented the Kingdom of Fife team, dancing individually within their own section at the Highland Dancing Scottish Area Finals held in Oban earlier this month.

Collectively their points were added together, and they were the Scottish area with the highest tally, winning the region the prestigious title for 2024.

Jackie Funnell, who chairs the Kingdom of Fife Highland Dance Festivals, said the competition is the only opportunity for the dancers to compete as a team - with 17 areas throughout Scotland represented by a team of up to six dancers who had been selected individually during selected championships or events held in 2023.

She said: “It's a huge achievement in the world of Highland dancing, it is a really significant achievement for these dancers to be part of the best area in Scotland. It’s the only place in the world where they dance as a troop, because it’s a solo sport. This is the one time in the year where they get to dance as a team.”

The win marks the first time since the competition began that Fife has picked up top spot, despite being a regular qualifier.

Jackie said: “The event has been running for 31 years and Fife has qualified every single year but this is the first time in 31 years that they’ve won it, so it is a really significant achievement.”