Mary-Elizabeth Chaney

Dance Biography

Mary-Elizabeth (M-E) MacGregor Chaney began dancing at the age of four when she attended ballet classes with Eugenia Pankotan in Mt. Clemens, MI, under whose instruction she studied until age eleven.  At age nine, she began Highland Dance lessons with Janis (Ross) Burkhardt in the Detroit area.  Under Janis’s tutelage, Mary-Elizabeth took part in numerous performances and exhibitions in the Detroit area with the St. Andrew’s Pipe Band; one particular highlight was performing with 60 other Highland Dancers in a mass Highland Fling during (a very muddy) half-time at a Detroit Lions game in the mid-70s.

In her mid-teens, M-E had the opportunity to attend dance camp and studio lessons taught by the late Gladys Forrester of The Canadian School of Ballet.  While traveling and competing in England and Scotland, Mary-Elizabeth attended workshops with Jean Ritchie and the late Highland Dance great, Elspeth Strathern.  In addition, she participated in U.S. workshops led by Members and Fellows of the British Association of Teachers of Dance (BATD) and passed all levels of medal testing offered at that time.   After eight years competing primarily in Michigan and Canada, Mary-Elizabeth attended and graduated from Alma College, where she also served as leader of the Alma College Highland Dancers her senior year and helped set in motion plans by the college to offer Highland Dance for P.E. credit, which came to fruition the following year and continues today.  Most recently, she attended teacher classes and observed instruction by former dance champions/championship teachers at the Ohio Scottish Arts School at Oberlin College, Ohio.  Her competing students have claimed over 100 awards (medals/trophies) at the Beginner, Novice, and Intermediate levels.

M-E has taught Highland Dance, considered the most sophisticated form of national dancing in the world, in Northern Michigan since 1997 and is a BATD Member.  She offers lessons at Vivace School of Music and Arts, Inc. and lives in Harbor Springs with her husband and daughter, who shares her mom’s love of dance (and sometimes tries to teach it during lessons!) and takes lessons in the Wee Lassies class.  Her son is a Junior at Albion College, where he is majoring in journalism and plays trumpet with the Albion Jazz Band, among other things!                                                             

Updated 11.10.2007