The Reel Ottawa Dance Company

03/08/2026

Happy International Women’s Day from Reel Ottawa Highland Dance Company 💜
Today we celebrate the strength, resilience, and spirit of women everywhere. From the dancers who bring power and grace to every step, to the teachers, volunteers, families, and supporters who keep our community strong — we are proud to be surrounded by incredible women every day.

From our Girl Gang to yours!

Happy International Women’s Day! 🌸✨
OttawaDance ReelOttawaHighlandDance

01/18/2026

Come join us on the dance floor - we can’t wait for an awesome evening!!

🎶🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎶

🔥 Burns Night Ceilidh – The Celebration Continues 🔥

Our Burns Supper is officially SOLD OUT — thank you for the incredible support!

But the night doesn’t end there.

Join the us for our Burns Night Ceilidh, where the celebration carries on with live music, dancing, and a relaxed, lively atmosphere that welcomes everyone.

🕘 Ceilidh doors open at 9:00 PM
📍 NDHQ WO & Sgt’s Mess
4 Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Ottawa, ON K2P 2H9

What to expect:

🎶 Live music by Atlantic Firth

💃 Highland dance performances by the Reel Ottawa Dance Company

🍺 Cash bar

🥔 Haggis poutine

🎉 A night to celebrate Burns in true Scottish style

Whether you’re coming straight from dinner or joining us for the Ceilidh only, this is the perfect way to finish the night.

🎟 Ceilidh tickets are still available at 👉 https://ottscot.ca/ottscot-shop/burns-supper-ceilidh-advance-ticket-sales

Come for the music. Stay for the dancing.

11/25/2025

Reel Ottawa was thrilled to join in celebrating St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, alongside our amazing hosts Atlantic Firth, who brought a full-on Scottish music and dance extravaganza to Ottawa at the lovely Meridian Theaters @ Centrepointe! 💙🏴

Our dancers kicked up their heels in a spectacular show featuring a 30-strong cast, packed with jigs, reels, and a lively mix of traditional and contemporary Scottish tunes. The energy was so contagious that the audience was clapping along and dancing in their seats! 🎻💃✨
Huge congratulations to everyone who took part — we are so proud of you all! 🙌💙

10/16/2025

📣 Save the Date! | St. Andrew’s Night Scottish Showcase 🇨🇦🎶

Reel Ottawa Dance Company is thrilled to be part of this year’s St. Andrew’s Night Scottish Showcase, celebrating Scotland’s rich music, dance, and cultural traditions right here in Ottawa!

🗓 Friday, November 21, 2025 — 7:30PM
📍 Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe
🎟 Tickets: $49.50 | Box Office: 613-580-2700

Join us for an unforgettable evening featuring:
- Atlantic Firth Scottish Dance Band
- Bobby Watt
- Reel Ottawa Dance Company
- Alexis MacIsaac • Bonita LeBlanc • Ronan Karson
- Ottawa Caledonian Pipes & Drums
- Ottawa Scottish Country Dancers

Get ready for a night where Scotland’s spirit takes centre stage — music that moves you, stories that inspire, and dances that bring the ceilidh to life!

06/09/2025

Have you heard the news?!?! We're hosting a REEL good party with For Reel Apparel, and we'd love to see you there!

If you're part of the & Overs crowd, join us at D'Arcy McGees on Saturday July 5th at 8:00 PM.

Tickets are limited, so get yours now while you can ☺️

Get your tickets here:
https://www.forreelapparel.com/sdccs-celebration-reel-good-party?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwK0PulleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp7uc9D5lUVxnOt2c3n2QMQkACqmXPWVydVH6Kv-zvUgHUAon1bTkiAOfO7sp_aem_x7RKsHUtkVYhFxWaLMH8Ww

A REEL GOOD GIVEAWAY!!

We're giving away TWO free event tickets to our & Overs Celebration: A Reel Good Party, in partnership with Reel Ottawa

🗓️ when: saturday, July 5
📍 where: OTTAWA. D’Arcy McGees
🕗 time: 8PM
🪩 who: our 21 & overs!!!

TO ENTER:
⭐️ LIKE this post
⭐️ FOLLOW FRA on IG / LIKE FRA page on FB
⭐️ SHARE this post
⭐️ Tag your & Over dance bestie (every tag = an entry, but must be individual comments/tags)

We’ll do the draw + announce the winner THURSDAY, JUNE 12! Good luck 🍀

We can't wait to host our FIRST EVER in person event, happening in Ottawa next month.

BONUS: pre-order a “21&way over” exclusive event tee, featuring Ottawa 2025 on the back (and we’ll keep adding locations every year you join us 🫶🏻)

The countdown is on!

11/26/2024

Please welcome another new member of the Reel Ottawa Reserves Team, Jessica Nash! Jessica has already gotten several Reel Ottawa performances under her belt, and is looking forward to dancing with the team and the OPS Pipes and Drums at the Ottawa Celtic Showcase this weekend ♾️

"I’m Jessica Nash and I have been highland dancing for 15 years. My love and passion for highland continues to grow over the years. I have danced around Canada, the United States, Scotland and Switzerland. My favourite highland dancing memory is dancing for The Queen in 2022 and dancing in the Basel Tattoo in 2024. I look forward to dancing and creating memories with Reel Ottawa!"

11/11/2024

This year was an exciting one for us. Not only did we get to participate in tons of fun performances with local pipe bands, we welcomed two new dancers to the Reel Ottawa Reserves Team!

Please welcome GIllian Murphy ♾️

This branch is open to Premier level dancers aged 18-20 who have a strong choreography background and a genuine love of performing. Our RO Reserves get the opportunity to participate in local and national performances, and are invited to join the Primary Dance Team once they are 21 years of age.

"Hi, my name is Gillian. I’m a Premier dancer from Ottawa, who is also currently studying at Carleton University. I fell in love with highland dancing at the age of 5 after seeing it preformed at a medieval festival - I knew immediately that highland was meant for me. Dancing has always been my first passion. I love the challenge it presents of combining elements of intricacy and strength with grace and elegance in a truly beautiful art form. My teacher has always told me that highland dancing can take you anywhere. I’ve been so lucky to have the opportunity to travel around the world and meet many wonderful people along the way. I’m looking forward to furthering my dancing technique and abilities with Reel Ottawa Dance Company, as well as perform along side some of the most talented dancers I’ve ever met.

I am very excited to be continuing my dancing adventures and see where they take me!"

11/04/2024

Let's give a warm welcome to another member of the Reel Ottawa Primary Dance Team, Christena Lawrie ♾️

"My first and favorite memory from when I moved to Ottawa in 2007 is going to my first dance class.

Since then, dance has taken me on adventures around the world and gifted me lifelong friendships. From growing up in Ottawa, to moving to a new city for school, to performing on different continents, the Highland Dance community makes anywhere feel like home.

While I have watched many of my peers ‘age out’ of the sports they love, I am grateful to know that I have many more years of dancing ahead of me, thanks to the wonderfully supportive adult dancer community and opportunities like Reel Ottawa!

I’m looking forward to all the adventures ahead with this amazing and talented group of dancers!"

10/10/2024

The Reel Ottawa team is growing! Over the next few weeks we will be introducing our new members, starting with Rebecca Saaltink. She recently joined Reel Ottawa as one of the Primary Dance Team Dancers, and already as a summer full of Reel Ottawa performances under her belt ♾️

"When I was around 10 years old, my ballet teacher tacked on a 15 minute highland class to the end of our ballet lessons. At the time it just seemed like a new fun dance style to try out. When I eventually lost interest in other dance styles and my mom signed me up at a highland studio, I don't think either of us would have predicted that I'd still be dancing competitively over two decades later.

One of my favourite things about dancing in Ottawa is our amazing adult dancer community; it's become such a wonderful source of support and cameraderie in my life. Reel Ottawa features so many of those lovely people who make highland dancing as an adult the fulfilling experience that it is. Choreography has always been a great creative outlet, and I love the way that Reel Ottawa works to get a great performance out of their dancers while maintaining a positive and supportive atmosphere".