Congrats Ellen Cameron Maloney!

Although I'm overdue for a news post about the school and performances through the winter and spring (it certainly has been busy), another bit of important news is taking priority. I'm very proud to share that today, my dance teacher, Ellen Cameron Maloney of St. Andrews West, Ontario, will be inducted into the Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame! Although I can't be there in person to witness it (because I will be busy doing what she has taught me to do... dancing!), I will most definitely be there in spirit. 

Since my sisters and I began classes with her nearly twenty years ago, Ellen has been a huge part of my life. She is an incredibly talented teacher, having led several students to Provincial, Canadian and World Championship titles and runners-up. Pretty darn impressive for a small school out in the country! But Ellen's impact on my life goes far beyond dance class and the titles she has helped myself and my classmates win. 

Being part of Ellen's dance class growing up meant being part of a dancing family. She treats her dancers like her children, helping them deal with struggles at school, at home, in relationships, and other areas of their lives outside of dancing. She cares deeply about her dancers and feels their ups and downs, successes and struggles, like they are her own (as you can see from her face in this picture of us after the 2016 World Championships!). Ellen wears her heart on her sleeve and shows her dancers how much she cares by being invested and involved in their lives. 

I will always remember the many talks she gave in her dance class growing up, and the lessons about humility, hard work, and keeping our disappointments in dance in perspective. We were taught to push ourselves, which sometimes meant hearing things we didn't want to hear but that we needed to hear in order to improve. Ellen has a strong passion for dance, but also knows that family, health and happiness come first, and she would often remind us of that when competitions didn't go our way. 

When I get together with my old friends from Ellen's class we love to reminisce about growing up with Ellen. We laugh about the stories she would tell (and still tells... I've been around long enough to hear some of them many times over), her extreme openness, her habit of getting you stuck in conversations for hours, her love of Pepsi (which I still haven't managed to get her to give up), and all the good times we had in class and at competitions. Thanks to Ellen and the friendly atmosphere she cultivated in her class and in competition, many of my friends in dancing remain some of my best friends to this day. 

Ellen, there are not many words to tell you how grateful I am for everything you've done for me over the years. For all the baked goods, drives to competitions, extended classes, friendship and mentorship, and for so many other things you did and continue to do for me and your dancers, thank you! When I first stepped into your class, I would never have imagined where it would take me and how it would shape my life in so many ways. I owe my ability and successes in dancing to your fantastic teaching - you are one of a kind and I feel so lucky to have been part of your school for so long. If I can even be half the teacher that you were, I will be very happy. Congratulations on this very well-deserved honour!