A MOUNT Gambier woman has been invited to judge the World Highland Dancing Championships in Scotland later this year.
With previous international judging experience, Ardlair School of Dancing founder Lisa Barker will be the only Australian adjudicator at the three-day event, held as part of the Cowal Highland Gathering.
Travelling to the home of highland dancing in late August, Ms Barker will be part of a panel which will determine the world’s top talent, with over 100 competitors expected.
Ms Barker said her selection came following several top judging roles over the past three years.
“I have judged the Canadian Open Championships, Australia’s Champion of Champions, the International Highland Dancing Championships of Australia, as well as a special once-off Diamond Rush championship held in conjunction with the International Highland Dancing Conference in South Africa,” she said.
It follows a long journey for Ms Barker, who first opened her dance school in 2003 after moving back to Mount Gambier following university study.
“At that point I was still competing and was training and teaching by myself,” Ms Barker said.
“I soon realised that if I wanted to be a successful dancer and teacher, I needed my judging qualification.
“They are the ones who receive all of the updated news and new changes directly from Scotland.”
Chipping away at her qualification, Ms Barker then sat a three-hour exam in America after the Australian exam was cancelled.
“To get the qualifications you need to sit a written exam, an oral exam and a judging exam, all to be passed to a mark of 85pc,” she said.
“For the judging exam you have qualified adjudicators sitting behind you and they have a mock competition.
“What you do as a judge then gets scored and ranked.”
Now Ms Barker judges competitions around the globe, bringing home more than just smiles.
“I enjoy being on the other side of the competition and knowing the work the dancers put into their routines,” Ms Barker said.
“What I have been exposed to as a teacher and a judge has allowed me to teach and help kids prepare themselves.
“It also allows me to bring back the skills that I can then pass onto the kids.”
Ms Barker said she looked forward to representing Australia during the event, a reward for her long-term commitment to the dancing community.
“Many judges talk about the sheer number of dancers and as a judge you need to know the work and make split second decisions,” she said.
“A lot of judges are hesitant to adjudicate these competitions because of the intensity, size and pace of the sections.
“Judging four dancers at a time with sometimes less than 90 seconds between sets requires a lot of concentration.”
Proud to be selected for the international competition, Ms Barker said it is “amazing” to be exposed to highland dancing at that level.
“I started as a five-year-old dancer from Mount Gambier and to now be exposed to the world of highland dancing as a judge, teacher and presenter at a world-class level is amazing,” Ms Barker said.
“It has been a massive commitment to get to this level but it is great fun.”
