Sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Celtic Arts Showcases as various local Scottish, Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh dancers, musicians and singers perform.

| ANNIE HENRY | BLUE CLOUD CELTIC | CELTIC SPOONS | EMMET McELHINNEY | FAERIE TALE MINSTREL | McKENZIE BRIAR | PLATEAU SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCERS |

Celtic Arts Showcase Schedule – Saturday

Please note: This is tentative schedule and may be changed by the Games committee.

Saturday Ceilidh on the South Stage

5:30-8:00PM

• Showcase Jam Session

Please note: This is tentative schedule and may be changed by the Games committee.

ANNIE HENRY

Being raised in the culturally diverse Pacific Northwest opens many musical doors, but Annie Henry joyfully took to the sounds of the Celtic traditions of her roots early on. After vehemently insisting she wanted to play the bass at age 7, her smaller stature (and her mom) gently nudged her towards violin. The rest is history, and two decades later Annie has become a prominent face in Scottish & Irish music in Washington.

Annie has studied and workshopped under some of the best including Alasdair Fraser, Martin Hayes, Rebecca Lomnicky, Bruce Molsky (old time/bluegrass), Annbjorg Lien (Norwegian), Sarah Van Vegten (classical), and long-time tutor Alexander James Adams. She has attended Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling school multiple times, and competed successfully in Scottish fiddling at regional and national levels.

She appears across Western Washington as a solo performer and with her current group, Celtic Treble, as well as performing as a guest with several other bands.

With a fierce commitment for keeping traditional music alive, Annie is now stepping into teaching roles as well as performing. With a passion for education as great as that for the arts, she is delighted to once again bring a workshop and session to the Seattle Scottish Highland Games.

Annie is available for performance bookings, workshops, private lessons, and Celtic sessions. Please find her online at www.facebook.com/anniehenrymusic, or email her at anniehenrymusic@yahoo.com.

BLUE CLOUD CELTIC

Blue Cloud Celtic is Thom Stewart on vocals, Davey MacDonald on celtic whistles, David Evans on fiddle, and Rich Johnson on guitar and vocals. Blue Cloud Celtic is steeped in traditional Scottish, Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh folk music and song.

CELTIC SPOONS

EMMET McELHINNEY

FAERIE TALE MINSTREL

MCKENZIE BRIAR

“McKenzie Briar” are two lovely ladies singing and playing ancient celtic ballads, songs of the sea and celtic inspired originals. Beautifully interwoven guitars, concertina, ukulele, tambourine, finger-cymbals, penny-whistle, chimes and the occasional exotic drum round out their instrumentation. Their voices blend magically and will take you to times mythical and almost forgotten. Their music ranges from medieval to contemporary.

This delightful duo consists of Kathi McKenzie and Donni Briar ~ with performing and recording experiences collectively spanning several decades and continents, and ranging from collaborations with sea shanty groups, rock bands, indie-acoustic ensembles and Belgian film-composers, to being featured at highland-games, SCA events, medieval fairs, art galleries, festivals, pubs, and private parties.

PLATEAU SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCERS

You can participate (no experience necessary), or just sit, watch, and enjoy the music and dance.

The Plateau Scottish Country Dancers is a social dance group based in Enumclaw, WA, that has existed since 1995. It originated as an activity at the Enumclaw Senior Center, but quickly expanded to an evening class for people of all ages and from all over the Puget Sound area. Our group was founded by Rick Murchie, an expatriate Scot who had taught Scottish and Highland dancing for many years in Scotland, Canada, and the US. Jim and Pat McDonald, both teachers and musicians, took over leadership of the group in 2004.

Currently, the Plateau Scottish Country Dancers practice every Monday night at the Danish Hall in downtown Enumclaw and perform every year at the Enumclaw Highland Games, as well as a variety of private performances and other games and events from around the area.

The membership is diverse, with a wide range in ages and backgrounds and anyone is welcome to come and try it out.

Another aspect of dancing is “cèilidh” dancing. A cèilidh (pronounced “kay-lee”) is a party where dancing and music are shared. After a performance, or in the evening at a highland games, we invite anyone from the public who would like to try some easy dances to come learn them on the spot. The dances are talked through, walked through, and then tried with music. It is a great way to explore this fun activity and have a good time!

Scottish Country Dancing is a form of social dance similar to square dancing. It originated in Scotland and Ireland and dates from the 18th century. Today it is practiced around the world and there are thousands of different types of dances. It is moderately physically demanding and there is a slight learning curve depending on the dance, but if you are willing to try, can count to four and eight, and know your right foot from your left, you can probably learn.