J A C K I E S M I T H

JACQUELINE SMITH, Milton, Ontario, Canada

From the age of 3 Jacqueline was trained in ballet, jazz, and tap and began Highland, her true passion, at the age of 7.  She had the pleasure of being taught by Helen Allison, Delma Wilson and Sandra Bald Jones.  Throughout her competitive dancing career she won numerous titles across Canada, the United States, Australia and Scotland.  Highlights include being Ontario Provincial Champion 7 times, Canadian Inter-provincial Champion 6 times, Juvenile World Champion (1988), Junior World Champion (1989), Adult World Champion (1993, 1996), Australian Champion of Champions, Grand Australasian Champion and Commonwealth Champion.  She was the first dancer in North America to win all 3 World Champion Titles at Cowal, Scotland.

A former member and soloist of the Scottish Dance Company of Canada and Schiehallion Dance Group, fond memories include travelling to perform in France and Arizona.  She also performed in the Mirvish production "Needfire" at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto for 3 months and in the “Down Under the Kilt” production in Australia. Other highlights include performing with John Allan Cameron, Natalie McMaster, the Barra McNeil's, Ashley MacIsaac, Leahy, and Slainte Va.

Jacqueline is an adjudicator on the SOBHD Judges’ Panel, a Fellow and Examiner with the SDTA, a Member with the BATD, and ScotDance Ontario Vice President. She has had the opportunity to adjudicate and conduct workshops throughout North America, Australia and Scotland. She opened her dance studio in 1998 in Milton, Ontario, Canada where she lives, has two teenage children and works in a Secondary School. Over the years her studio dancers have won many awards internationally, including Provincial, Canadian, North American Championship Titles and runner up titles at the Commonwealth and World Championships. In August 2017, two studio dancers placed in the top four overall in the Juvenile World Championships with one being Best Overseas Juvenile Dancer.

Jacqueline is extremely grateful to Highland Dancing for the places she has been, the lifelong skills she has learned and the friends she has met. She looks forward to continuing to teach, judge, and examine, passing on her passion to others for many years to come. She is excited to be a part of the teaching staff for the 2021 David Wilton Dance Clinic!