Information and Links for Current Students

Purchasing ghillies for the first time can be a bit intimidating, so do not hesitate to ask your teacher for guidance! New beginners may initially wear black ballet slippers, Irish soft shoes, or similar dance pumps. Proper ghillies are required for competitions.

When purchasing ghillies, please pay careful attention to sizing - it may even be helpful to measure the dancer's foot. Ghillie sizing is NOT the same sizing as US street shoes and may vary drastically depending on what brand you get. Ghillies are meant to fit snuggly, but not uncomfortably, and often need to be broken in prior to dancing - the leather will stretch! Some of the following stores have a wide selection of fun colors, but please make sure that the ones you purchase are black leather (though the eyelets/stitching might be black, red, white, etc).

For new dancers, we recommend buying ghillies from Highland X Press.

The following information is about outfits worn for performance, competition, and exams. ASHD's recommended dress code for classes may be found here.

For competitions and most performances, Highland dancers wear very specific traditional outfits. Beginner dancers will first need a Highland outfit: a kilt. More advanced dances will required additional outfits: Aboyne, Jig, and Hornpipe. For exact guidelines, look at the official RSOBHD dress code. Prior to making a purchase, be sure to run it by your teacher. 

For USED outfits:

• ASHD has a small collection of previously-loved outfits available for rent to current students. Email us your/your dancer’s waist and waist-to-knee measurements and we’ll see if we have anything that might fit.

• Oftentimes there are outfits for sale at competitions, workshops, and other in-person events.

• There are several Facebook groups where dancers and parents sell second-hand outfits online:

  • Highland Dance Gear for Sale in Canada & the USA

  • Highland Dance Wear Buy & Sell

  • Highland Dancing Costumes for Sale/Wanted

  • Highland Dancers Over 30 (or Thereabouts) - for adult dancers

  • Highland Dance Boys - for male-identifying dancers of all ages (and their parents)

For NEW outfits:

Most serious dancers prefer to purchase custom-made outfits. However, these are quite a big investment and we do not recommend this option for new dancers and children who are still growing. If you are going to buy new, “kilties” are a good choice for children, who would outgrow a regular, more expensive kilt very quickly.

Make sure you're purchasing a dancer's kilt! Some of these sites also sell regular kilts which would not be suitable for Highland dancers. An easy way to tell is that dancers' kilts are usually made of "dress" tartan, which has large stripes of white. It does not matter which clan tartan you get - while some dancers have family tartans which also make good dancers' kilts, most dancers choose their tartan based on what's available or what pattern they like.

These are some of our favorite suppliers for new outfits (both custom-made and off-the-rack): 

• Highland X Press (Michigan)

• Celtic Corner Store (Ohio)

• Hilter Kilter (Virginia)

• Thistle Do Nicely (Michigan)

• TartanTown (CA)

• Highland in Style (CA)

• Karen's Kilts (CA)

• Bonnie Tartan (UK)

VIDEOS:

• ASHD YouTube channel - videos of our recent performances

• Highland Dancing On Demand by David Wilton Dance Clinics

• Highland Dance Steps - a bit outdated, but this is still a great resources to find videos of individual steps from any dance

MUSIC:

• Playlists may be found on ASHD's YouTube channel and Spotify profile. 

FITNESS:

• Fit for Reel by StudioFit

• Highland Wellness and Strength

• Highland Hustle

• Celtic Coaching Company