Dance Teachers
These are our SW 2022 Teachers. Please check back for SW 2023 Teachers.
- Robert McOwen, Boston, MA
- Kate Nealley, Ardmore, PA
- Yvonne Yang, Annandale, VA
 Robert McOwen, Boston, MA
Robert began Scottish country and highland dancing in Berkeley, California in 1973. He received the Teaching
Certificate of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS) by examination in Scotland in 1980, and since then has
taught at dance camps and workshops across the United States, and in Canada, Scotland, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.
Robert became a member of the Scottish Dance Teacher's Alliance in 1987, and has taught, competed in, and performed highland
dancing at various events across the United States, including Bonnie Rideout's "Scottish Christmas" Tour 1999-2005. In 2002,
he and Karen Mahoney formed Highland Dance Boston, which has choreographed and performed many dances at Scottish events in
the Boston Area. In his "spare time", Robert is a Professor of Mathematics at Northeastern University.
Kate Nealley, Ardmore, PA
Kate Nealley (Ardmore, PA) has been dancing since she was 4 years old. Ballet was her first love, but after
dancing professionally for 6 years and achieving the rank of soloist, she retired and went to college. While at
Haverford College, near Philadelphia, she discovered Scottish Country Dancing, which allows her to have fun with her
feet and with friends at the same time. Attending the RSCDS Summer School at St Andrews 5 years in a row, she was honoured
to be asked to dance on both the Country Dance and Ladies’ Highland Demonstration Teams. She now joyfully teaches SCD and
Ladies’ Step Dancing at all levels, as well as English Country Dancing. She has taught on staff at both Pinewoods Camp
and at Argyle Weekend, and she is one of the few who have attended every Scottish Weekend since 1989. In 1986 she “inherited”
the tradition of in-home SCD parties, founded by the McNair family in Swarthmore PA, and has held dances and classes and
demo rehearsals at her home, “Inverarity” for more than 30 years. Kate is also very involved in community theatre in
the Philadelphia area, and especially enjoys Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. She met Ed, her husband of 30 years, at
a rehearsal with the Rose Valley Chorus. They continue to enjoy both English and Scottish Country Dancing and lots of
musical theatre together. Their daughter, Sara, is an enthusiastic dancer and rising classical soprano.
Yvonne Yang, Annandale, VA
Yvonne started Scottish country dancing in 1994 in Charlottesville, VA, after a very persistent
friend finally convinced her to try it, and she loved it from the first step. She has taught in
the Washington, DC area since 2005, and enjoys helping dancers understand a step, formation, or dance
in ways that they hadn't realized before. Yvonne co-taught an Intermediate Dancing Achievement Award course
in 2018, has assisted with several candidate classes, and chaired the Northern Virginia Branch teachers'
committee from 2008-2015. For the past year Yvonne has been very active on Zoom, teaching SCD for the Northern
Virginia Branch, the Washington, DC Branch, and the Albany, NY class, plus learning Scottish step dancing.
Yvonne's other hobby is assembling hand-cut wooden jigsaw puzzles. In her professional life, Yvonne is a
Technical Director for Oracle.
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