A world champion’s final fling has capped a sensational summer for an Angus Highland dancing school.
This weekend’s Braemar Gathering will put a royal seal on the competitive dancing career of Forfar 22-year-old David Wilton when he hangs up his Highland hose and dancing pumps after a remarkable run of success over 15 years which has reaped 192 championships across the globe.
The list includes seven world titles the last of which David recaptured at last weekend’s blue riband Cowal Gathering when he led home a string of young talent from the Delma Wilson school, run by his mother, which has enjoyed an unrivalled season in top competition.
Cowal and its 600-strong field of international competitors represents the pinnacle of the Highland dancing world and the Wilson school secured no fewer than four prized Scottish titles effectively an age group world best to go alongside David’s adult category crown.
With his name etched firmly into the sport’s history books through his achievements at home and abroad, David is now turning his ambitions to his other passion of bagpiping after graduating with first class honours from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama earlier this summer.
David’s dancing triumph followed hot on the heels of success with the Grade One ScottishPower outfit which won third place in the World Pipe Band Championships at Glasgow Green and although he is stepping into retirement, the signs are that the Wilson school has dancers to follow in his steps.
Three days of Cowal competition begin with the Scottish National championship for home-grown competitors and the Forfar school scooped titles through Olivia Waddell (eight years), Letham’s Jessica Baillie (nine), Holly Donaldson of Kirriemuir (11) and Sophie Brown (12).
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Also among the honours in that event were Amber Donaldson and Connor Woodcock (runner-up and fourth respectively, nine years), Mairi Buchanan (runner-up, 11 years), Leven’s Kirstin Stewart (runner-up, 14 years) and Leanne Wood (fourth place, 18 years).
The Scottish Championship opens up the field to global all-comers the following day and, against rivals from nations including Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand, Olivia Waddell, Jessica Baillie, Holly Donaldson and Sophie Brown each went on to complete doubles in their age groups.
Amber Donaldson added another award to the family trophy cabinet with third place in the nine years category and Kirstin Stewart took the same slot in the 14 years section.
Those performances put the Wilson dancers firmly at centre stage in the Scottish spotlight and set up a remarkable final day at the Dunoon arena, when focus switches to the World Championship, and the school was represented in all three top categories Sophie Brown and Kirstin Stewart at juvenile (12-15 years) level, Jade Ferries and Anthea Bundy in the junior (16-18) category and adult dancers Leanne Wood and David Wilton.
Only 20 competitors qualify for each section and the Angus dancers performed with aplomb, culminating in a junior world runner-up title for Anthea Bundy and David Wilton’s adult honour in a nailbiting finale.
School principal Delma said it was an emotional experience watching her son compete in his final world championship but the thrilling outcome was the icing on the cake of a glorious event.
“In the lead-up to Cowal the school had done so well at major championships including the British and Commonwealth so we hoped the dancers would rise to the occasion and they certainly did that and more,” she said. “Their success is the reward for the hours and hours of hard work they put in to the sport and it’s an honour for me to see the kids achieve so much.”