My main interest outside of linguistics is Scottish dancing.
I started dancing in 1991 at the Jo Moore School of Scottish Dance in Cary, North Carolina. Although my first love is Scottish Highland Dancing, at some point I also started Scottish Country Dancing with the Raleigh Scottish Country Dance Society. While highland dancing is usually performed solo, and many of the dances developed as recruitment, training, or victory dances for soldiers in the Scottish army, country dancing is social in nature and more closely resembles American square dancing, contra dancing, English set dancing, and Irish set dancing.
In 2001-2002, I spent a year studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, and had the privilege of doing both highland and country dancing with the Edinburgh University New Scotland Country Dance Society.
In 2003, I moved to Columbus, Ohio, and was both a teacher and a competitive highland dancer with the Columbus Highland Dancers and a country dancer with Heather 'N' Thistle RSCDS. I also danced with the Weaver Highlanders in St. Louis, MI.
In 2009, I moved to Staten Island, NY, and helped to found a new group of highland dancers in NYC, Shot of Scotch. I am currently also active with the Reid School of Highland Dance outside of Philadelphia.
I am a certified member of the British Association of Teachers of Dance. I am also a member of the East branch of the Federation of United States Teachers and Adjudicators, the Stateside governing body of the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dance. I have been a member of the Mid-Ohio Scottish Heritage Association, and I enjoy attending the Ohio Scottish Arts School, in years when it doesn't conflict with LabPhon.
Information, videos, and links about many of the highland dances can be found here.