Once again, Amethyst will host Highland Heritage at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax on November 14, 1998. The curtain will rise to the skin of the pipes, the sway of the kilts, the magic of the fiddle and more. This is the eighth major concert Amethyst has produced since it was organized in 1985 and the fifth to be held at the Cohn.

Joseph Wallin, Amethyst's Artistic Director and internationally acclaimed choreographer for the Nova Scotia Tattoo, describes the show as one that will take you back in time to the origins of Highland Dance and its connection to the pipes, the fiddle, Gaelic song, and even some of the modern Celtic bands and stepdances that have become so popular today."

"To demonstrate this, we've called upon some of the best Celtic entertainers to combine their various siyles of live music with the award-winning dance troupe, Amethyst," says Anita MacDougall, Program Director and concert coordinator.

Amethyst is delighted to present many featured entertainers. Buddy MacMaster, the legendary, widely-respected fiddler, will be accompanied by his daughter Mary Elizabeth. The outstanding vocalist Mary Jane Lamond, will join in with her rich and compelling voice as she sings ancient and modem Gaelic songs. The up and coming (and innovative) Slàinte Mhath, a Celtic band consisting of fiddler, guitarist, piper, percussionist and vocalists, will combine Celtic traditional with Celtic pop music. The audience will be treated to the enchanting music of Celtic harpist Cheryl O'Hagan; to the talented young stepdancer from Mabou, Blair MacDonald; and to the lively Lowland piping of Glenn Coolen. The Grade Three Dartmouth Junior Pipes and Drums Band, Champion Supremes in Atlantic Canadafor 1997and 1998,will set the stage with Amethyst for the dynamic show opening. Rounding out the evening will be the award-winning Antigonish Gaelic Choir, which travels to promote the language and teaching of Gaelic culture.

Amethyst is an exciting dance group which performs Highland and national dances as well as increasingly popular choreographed dances and stepdancing numbers. This Halifax-based, non-profit dance troupe has won numerous awards for creativity and originality, including Canadian Nationals. They are successful wherever they travel and perform. In the past ten months, they have travelled as invited guests to Xalapa, Mexico, and to the International Tattoo in Norfolk, Virginia. They danced several shows for packed houses. They have been invited three times to Texas, and were so successful on each that they have been made Honorary Citizens of Texas. They have also travelled to England, Scotland and Wales, where they danced numerous performances in such places as London's Convent Garden Market, Edinburgh and Chester Fringe Festivals, the Banquet Hall of Blair Hall, and on the grounds of Stirling and Caernarfon Castles.

Amethyst dances to depict the heritage and life of Nova Scotians and have earned a reputation as unofficial cultural ambassadors. Their talent, enthusiasm and unique forms of dancing have thrilled audiences at clan gatherings, weddings, conventions, summer outdoor concerts, multi-cultural events, and even on cruise ships. They have performed for NATO foreign ministers as well as at the G7 (Group of Seven industrial nations). They have represented Nova Scotia both nationally and internationally as numerous dance festivals. They have performed for the Queen and other visiting dignitaries, and have been chosen by the provincial Protocol Office to usher guests and form Honour Guards. And they have danced with some of Nova Scotia's most illustrious musicians, including Rita MacNeil, Natalie MacMaster, Ashley MacIsaac, the Barra MacNeils and John Allan Cameron.

Many of their performances are benefit concerts in aid of such charities as the IWK Children's Miracle Network Telethon and Kermesse, Martin House inthe United Kingdom, St. Martha's Hospital Building Fund, the DePaul Centre for Single Mothers, as well as various fund-raisers.

Mark November 14th on your calendar. It should be an exciting and colourful evening of musical, toe-tapping talent.