Inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction in 2018.

Sandra comes from Kirkcaldy, Scotland, and now resides in Hamilton Ontario, Canada. Before emigrating to Canada, she was a competitive Highland Dancer, winning many awards and Championships including two World titles, Junior and Adult. As a dancer, she has been featured on Scottish TV programmes and touring shows, and was presented to the Queen following a Royal performance at Holyrood Palace in Scotland.

Over the years, Sandra has choreographed for many groups, both amateur and professional. Her own “Schiehallion Dancers” have carried the banner of Highland Dancing with performances across Canada, United States, Great Britain, Macau and Europe in such venues as the Edinburgh Tattoo, Berlin Tattoo, and Brittany’s L’Orient Celtic Festival. Sandra is a Founder and one of the Directors of the professional dance ensemble, “The Scottish Dance Company of Canada”. Their production of “Immrama” (Adventurous Journey) received rave reviews wherever they performed. She also did the choreography for the Mirvish production of “Needfire” where she worked with Director Kelly Robinson. This choreography was chosen for the 1998 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, and was also nominated for the Dora Mavor Moore Award. In 2002 she was the Director of a Canadian Highland Dance Team who performed with other Dancers representing Commonwealth Countries at the Queen’s Jubilee Celebration 2002 Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Sandra Bald Jones is a Fellow and Examiner of the Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance, Fellow of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing, Member of the United Kingdom Alliance and an adjudicator with the Scottish Official Board’s panel of Judges. Judging, teaching, and choreographing have taken Sandra all over Canada, the United States, Scotland, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

In 2011 Sandra was presented with a prestigious award from the SOBHD called The Atholl Clasp. Nominated by members of the Board, the recipient is chosen for their dedication and contribution to the sport of Highland Dancing. She has also been accepted as an Honorary Member of the SOBHD.

MSDTA, MUKA, SOBHD Judges Panel

Dana has been dancing with the Sandra Bald Jones Dance Studio since the age of 5 and has been a solid fixture on the international highland dance scene. She is a 9-time qualifier for the World Highland Dance Championships, including an overall 6th place finish in 1999. She represented Ontario 5 times at the Canadian Championships and won the South African Highland Dance Championships. A member of both the Schiehallion Dancers and The Scottish Dance Company of Canada, Dana has performed throughout North America, Scotland, Europe and Bermuda. She was a cast member of the Mirvish production of “Needfire: Passion of the Heart”, performed at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto in 1998, was in the Nutcracker with the Moscow State Ballet, and danced for the Queen when she won the Best Overseas Dancer at the Braemar Highland Games. She was a member of the Canadian Highland Dance team that danced in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Celebration 2002 Edinburgh Military Tattoo and performed on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for the 2005 Canada Day Celebrations. One of the highlights of her performance career was dancing in the Scotland the Brave show at the Lincoln Center in New York City in 2009.

Dana has been teaching at the studio since 1998. She is a Member of the Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance, a Member of the United Kingdom Alliance and is an adjudicator with the Royal Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing’s panel of judges.

Dana has often described the SBJ Dance Studio as her home away from home. What started as a childhood hobby grew into a lifelong passion that she is excited to pass onto future generations. Dana is a strong believer that Highland Dance, and Mrs. Jones, taught her many valuable life lessons including goal setting, hard work, perseverance, and handling success and disappointment. Dana has a Bachelor of Engineering & Biosciences and a Master of Business Administration from McMaster University. In her non-dancing life, Dana is a proud mother of two boys and a professional within the Medical Device industry.

Fellow SDTA, RSOBHD Judges Panel

Chelsea has been dancing with the Sandra Bald Jones Dance Studio, in Hamilton ON, for over 20 years both competitively and as a performer. She has performed with the Schiehallion Dancers at numerous tattoos across North America and Europe. Her personal highlights include the 2008 Edinburgh Military Tattoo with Canadiana Celtic and the 2012 Basel Tattoo with Ailsa Craig Highland Dancers.

Under the direction of both Sandra Bald Jones and Dana Gamache, she has trained and successfully competed across Canada, United States and Scotland, with highlights including the Scotdance Canada Championship Series and the World Highland Dance Championships in Dunoon, Scotland. Joining the Scottish Dance Company of Canada in 2009, allowed Chelsea to expand her dancing accomplishments to include dancing and performing alongside some of the best dancers in Canada.

Chelsea has choreographed several numbers that have been featured at SDCCS, international Tattoos, Hamilton Tiger Cats games and many local events. She continues to choreograph and co-directs the Schiehallion Dancers alongside Sandra Bald Jones. Most recently, she brought the Schiehallion Dancers to Scotland for a two-week trip of performances, including once in a lifetime opportunity to perform for Queen Elizabeth II at a private performance at Balmoral Castle.
Chelsea is a Fellow of the Scottish Dance Teachers’ Alliance and an adjudicator with the Royal Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing’s panel of judges.

Having trained at the studio throughout her life, Chelsea brings a unique perspective to her teaching, helping students grow both as dancers and individuals. Teaching at the studio allows Chelsea to continue her love for highland dancing and she enjoys being a part of the SBJ Dance Studio Instructional Team. Outside of her studio life, Chelsea graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Life Sciences (2014) and currently works in the Medical Technology field.

Mackenzie has been dancing since the age of two, and has been a member of the Schiehallion dancers for the past seven years. She has performed with the Schiehallion dancers in many places such as The Virginia International Tattoo in 2015, The Bermuda Highland Games in 2013, The Bermuda Tattoo in 2015, The Fergus Tattoo in 2014 and 2015, and The Canadian International Military Tattoo for four years. Mackenzie has also traveled across Canada, The United States, Scotland, and South Africa for competitions and performances with highlights including dancing at the World Championships in 2015, Performing in The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2016 and 2018, winning the Tribute to J.L McKenzie Scholarship Award in 2016 and the South African National Premiership in 2017.

Following four years of Assistant teaching Mackenzie obtained her Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance Associate Membership in 2017. Mackenzie loves to teach dancers the love of Highland Dancing that she has experienced her whole life, and hopes her students have as much fun as she does every time the music comes on!

Carina has been a highland dancer for 21 years now, starting with the Sandra Bald Jones Dance Studio at four and a half years old. Her mom says she put Carina in dance to try it out and she just hasn’t left! Carina has been a teacher with the studio for the last 10 years, and is also a member of the Schiehallion Dancers. With Schiehallion, Carina has had the privilege of dancing across Canada, the United States, and Europe, including a tour in Alaska, the Berlin International Tattoo, and the Basel International Tattoo. She always felt most proud to perform in her hometown, though, at the Hamilton International Tattoo.

Teaching at the studio has brought Carina much joy and pride in herself and her students. She consistently pushes her students to do their best, whatever that may be on any given day, and to have fun doing it. If it’s not fun, it’s work – and dance shouldn’t feel like work! She is passionate about Nationals and choreography, successfully choreographing duets and solos for first and second place winnings in Ottawa several times. She hopes to instil in her students a love of dance and choreography, allowing them to get lost in the music.

Outside of the dancing world, Carina has a Bachelors of History, a Bachelors of Education, and a Masters in History with focus on Ontario Freemasons. She can often be found shuffling her feet to the tune of a fiddle, because what’s life outside the studio without dance?

Heather has been dancing since the age of 7. Throughout her childhood, she moved across Canada having the privilege of experiencing many great teachers during her career. Dancing has always been a passion of Heather’s and during her youth, it became her constant as she moved around. She has competed across Canada, the US and Scotland. Her teaching career began in Calgary Alberta and when she moved back to Hamilton, she was thrilled to be able to continue teaching and have her two young daughters (Kenzie & Sydney) at SBJ studio. Heather has completed her SDTA Members.

Madelyn has been dancing since the age of 3, and has over 15 years of experience in a variety of styles. She took part in jazz, tap, and ballet classes at first, and transitioned into highland dance with the studio at age 10. She discovered highland dancing through her older sister and has now been with the studio for over 8 years. She dances both competitively and as a performer, travelling across Canada, the United States, and Scotland. Being a member of the Schiehallion Dancers, Madelyn has taken part in performances internationally with the group and enjoys working as a team. Some highlights in her dancing career include placing second for the SDTA North American Scholarship theory paper in 2022, performing privately for Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, being selected to dance on the Okanagan Military Tattoo Team in 2023, and dancing with Fling Together in the New York City Tartan Day Parade in 2024.

After being an assistant teacher in dance classes, Madelyn successfully completed her SDTA Associate Membership in 2023 and has been teaching with the studio since. She loves being able to teach the next generation of dancers, while also learning from other teachers at the studio. She is fulfilling a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences at McMaster University and looks forward to furthering her education. Seeing all she has experienced in highland dancing has shown she made the right decision in joining the studio. Madelyn looks forward to continuing dancing and teaching into her adult years, and experiencing more performance opportunities.

Danika’s journey in dance began at the age of 2, when she started dancing and quickly developed a love for movement. By the age of 6, she became a competitive dancer in jazz, tap, and ballet, building a strong foundation in various styles. At 7, she transitioned to Highland Dancing and joined the Highland community at SBJ Dance Studio, where she continued to grow in her craft. In 2020, Danika was invited to join the Schiehallion Dance ensemble, which provided her with valuable performance experiences, including a memorable private performance for Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland in 2022.

Alongside her performance career, Danika has a deep passion for teaching. After assisting at the studio for two years, she completed her SDTA Associate Membership in 2024. One of the greatest joys of teaching for Danika is watching her students grow and develop their skills each dance season. Beyond dance, she also loves the theatre and has performed in her high school productions of Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia, and Descendants the Musical. Her experiences in both dance and theatre continue to shape her as a performer and educator, always with a focus on sharing her love of the arts and helping others reach their full potential.