San Jose School of Highland Dancing

Instructors

Fred DeMarse

Fred started to compete in Highland dancing in 1988 after completing his university studies at the University of California-Berkeley in Chemical Engineering. He has competed and performed throughout North America and Europe. Performance highlights include touring with the Kings Own Borderers Pipe Band on their American West Coast tour in 1997, traveling throughout Norway in 1998 performing with the Red Thistles Scottish Dance company (based in San Francisco), and participating in Bonnie Rideout's 1999 A Scottish Christmas tour, which included a final performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Fred is a Fellow of the British Association of Teachers of Dance (BATD) and the United Kingdom Alliance (UKA). He joined the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing (SOBHD) World-Wide Judging Panel in 2003. Fred is also a fully-certificated teacher of the Royal Scottish County Dance Society (RSCDS). He has taught country dance workshops throughout North America, and he has successfully trained Highland dance and Scottish country dance candidates for their teaching credentials since 1998.

Jennie Dolen

Jennie began Highland dancing in 1995 and competed all over the United States as well as in Scotland. She started dancing at 11 years with Norine Harmon. When she started college at Sonoma she took lessons from Elsie Stuehmeyer. She received her associates for teaching Highland Dancing in the fall of 2002 as a senior in high school. She became a full member of the SDTA in the fall of 2005. Jennie is a recent graduate from Sonoma State University graduating with a BA in Sociology.

Jennie is a Western region champion. She qualified and competed at five United States Championships. She earned 5th runner up two years in a row at the United States Championships. Jennie also competed in Scotland and won medals at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.

Jennie says this about Highland Dancing: "Through Scottish dancing I have met some of my best friends. I have made friendships with people that will last a lifetime. Without Scottish dancing, I don't know who I would be as a person today. Scottish dancing has taught me to work hard for what I want to achieve, set goals and to never give up. It taught me to be gracious, humble and confident."