"Having a Fling with Highland Dance" by Darrah Carr, Dance Studio Life, Feb 2008

"The New York Celtic Dancers, under the direction of Allison Fippinger, are also creating alternative avenues to the competition circuit. “We are a performing group that holds classes in order to support our performances and to engage people in Scottish dance,” Fippinger says. A typical performance might include Highland dances, Scottish national dances, and hard-shoe step dances. “We choreograph so that we can use all of the traditions in one dance. We reenvision older dances so that they are fresh for performance now,” continues Fippinger. “Highland dances are solo dances that are done on the spot; there is not a lot of movement. I try to make them more dynamic so that the energy translates to the audience.” By alternating figure dance patterns with Highland dance steps, Fippinger makes greater use of the space and physically moves the dancers around the floor. She also researches older Highland dance steps that are not currently used in competition. “Finding steps that are not known increases my vocabulary as a choreographer,” she says. “Not only do I use older Highland steps, but I often use more modern music, choosing from a wide variety of Cape Breton tunes or songs with lyrics. It will always be within the Celtic realm, but it won’t necessarily be Scottish.""