Clare Kiely Champoux – 2025 Hall of Fame Inductee 

CLARE KIELY CHAMPOUX

From Doll Carriages to Champion Dancer and the Highland Games Hall of Fame

One of Clare Kiely’s earliest memories of the was walking her doll carriage in the Highland Games parade. She says “My mom would make my costume and decorate my carriage and I would walk slowly in the big parade. Mom had to keep me moving as I would stop and pose for everyone who wanted a picture. This caused lots of problems for the pipe bands and horses trying to march behind me!”

Once at Columbus Field, Clare would sit for hours and watch the dancers. “I remember being mesmerized by the dances and the costumes. It was the beginning of my love for Highland dancing.”

Brenda MacAdam, who was dating her uncle Bernie Chisholm at the time, decided to start a new Highland dance class. Clare remembers being enthralled with her and her sisters when they would dance at family events. “I saw all their awards and kilts and loved it all. I begged my mom to sign me up and she obliged.”

Clare’s grandmothers Josie Chisholm lived on Hillcrest Street next door to famed dancing teacher, Florence MacMillan. Clare recalls Florence showing her steps and encouraging her to take Highland Dance classes. “She told me I was a natural.”

Clare very quickly proved Florence right. She won her first Highland Games competition at the age of seven. The next year she won all three dances she entered. She made the front page of the paper, smiling sweetly and holding the Casket Printing and Publishing Trophy for top novice dancer.

The following year, competing against girls many years older, Clare won the Florence MacMillan Trophy for top performer in the Flora MacDonald’s Fancy. She remains the youngest dancer to win the coveted trophy in its 53 years of being awarded and she won it a total of five time, the second most of any dancer.

In 1975 Clare continued her winning ways by taking the high aggregate prize in the Intermediate category at the Games. It was a trend that would continue throughout her Highland Games career.

Clare was twelve years old in 1978 when Scotdance Nova Scotia was formed and dancers could compete for provincial awards. Over the next eight years she won four Nova Scotia championships. In her last year of Scotdance competition, she emerged as champion in the 18 and over division, besting all the top dancers in the province. Clare represented Nova Scotia many times at the Canadian championships, winning runner-up awards twice and twice more at the North American championships.

In 1980, Clare was selected as one of 40 girls that formed the original Scotia Highland Dancers, an innovative troupe taught by Janice Macquarrie, Gerarda MacDonald and Bernice Valvasori. Along with technique instruction she was able to learn original choreography for the first time. “We were so lucky to have such skilled instructors to help develop our skills as entertainers. By the time original choreography became part of the Canadian Championships the Scotia Dancers had a full

complement of numbers ready. We successfully won the national titles for choreography the first few years of its existence and became the team to beat at the national level.”

Clare was thrilled to compete at the World Highland Dancing Championships in Scotland on two occasions and was a top ten finalist both times. She has distinct memories of seeing the parallels between the Cowal Games in Dunoon and her hometown Games. “The organized chaos of having the Highland dancing, pipe band and Scottish Heavy events all occurring at the same time and on the same field. It was cool being so far from here yet feeling so much at home.”

Clare continued dancing until she finished her degree at St.F.X. but continued to teach, always affirming her students and encouraging them to hone their talents to be the best they could be and to carry on the tradition of excellence in Highland Dance.