Mission
Mission
Cincinnati Highland Dancers is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the traditions and culture of Scottish Highland Dancing. Our performances consist of demonstrations of historical dances in tradition attire. Educating our audience is a primary goal as most of the dances are based on historical events and people.
Inclusion
Inclusion
Cincinnati Highland Dancers celebrates the diversity of our staff, students, and community. We believe that anyone should be able to participate and enjoy Scottish Highland Dancing. We are committed to making our programs available to all interested students.
Meet our Team
Melissa Volck
Instructor & Fellow Member BATD
Melissa was born in San Francisco, CA. She began her dance career at the age of 4.
At the age of 17, she was encouraged by her partner to learn and teach highland dancing. Following her successful competitive career, she went on to pursue her Fellow membership with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Early Childhood Education.
Over the past 20 years she has enjoyed combining her love of dance and expertise in education to create a fun and encouraging environment for her students.
Louise Reid
Instructor, RSOBHD Adjudicator, & Fellow Member BATD
Louise was born in Glasgow, Scotland and moved to the United States at a young age. After a few years in Chicago, her family settled in Cincinnati, Ohio where her mother opened a dance studio.
Louise began to take Highland dancing at that time and competed successfully throughout North America and Scotland. She has competed in the World Championships at Cowal and had students qualify for the United States National Championships. She became a teacher in 1997 to continue to share her love of dancing and the Scottish culture.
Louise continues to perform as a featured dancer with Seven Nations and has also had the pleasure of dancing with Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Off Kilter, and Albanach among others.
In addition to highland dancing, Louise is owner of Celtic Corner and president of Cincinnati Highland Dancers.
Morgan Reitz
Instructor & Member BATD
Morgan grew up visiting local cultural events around Cincinnati, and although not Scottish, she fell in love with the music and dancing. Starting Highland Dance in middle school, she enjoyed a fun competitive career also filled with many exciting performance opportunities, which led to her pursuing her Member BATD certification in 2016.
With a degree in Anthropology, Morgan is passionate about cultural representation and preservation just as much as dancing itself- and enjoys mixing history, culture, and Gaelic into her classes. She is also passionate about her work in accessibility (focusing on disabilities, language and cultural barriers, and financial difficulties) with local arts organizations, Morgan firmly believes that dance should be for everyone, and strives to create an environment where everyone is welcome.