Instructors

Erica Archer

Erica started her Scottish dancing career as a Highland dancer before going on to perform and teach many different aspects of Scottish traditional dance. She is well known as a teacher of Scottish Country dance weekends and day schools and regularly took the Highland and Scottish Country Workshops at the Sidmouth Folk Festival as well as teaching at several of the Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festivals. Her teaching experience covers all levels from Junior to Advanced classes.

Erica is currently Team Leader of ‘Corryvrechan’, the Scottish dance display team, and has danced with the Team on numerous occasions at Festivals across Europe and North America.

Her main interest as a teacher lies in encouraging all who come onto the dance floor to reach their maximum potential as dancers in an enthusiastic and cheerful atmosphere which everyone can enjoy.

Erica holds the Teacher’s Certificate of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and was awarded the Society’s ‘Scroll of Honour’ in November 2000. She is also a Fellow of the United Kingdom Alliance (of Professional Teachers of Dancing) and was appointed an examiner in 1994.

Ilona Velichko

Ilona is a young dancer and teacher from Russia. In keeping with her country's impressive tradition in dance, Ilona started life as a ballet dancer before going on to dance competitively in the field of ballroom and Latin American as well as keeping up her traditional Russian dancing. 1997 saw the beginning of Ilona's enthusiasm for Scottish dancing which has lead to her becoming a fully qualified RSCDS teacher who regularly teaches across a broad spectrum including the Society's 'Spring Fling' taking place in Oxford in March 2007. She set up and instructed a Scottish Dance group in the South of Russia which has become popular and well-known on a national scale.

Ilona currently teaches a Scottish Country Dance class for students and young people in Bristol where she is living at present. Her enthusiasm as a performer covers all aspects of Scottish dance including Ladies Step, Highland and Cape Breton step and her enthusiasm as a teacher makes her keen to pass on her knowledge to others at every opportunity.

In September 2005 Ilona joined Corryvrechan and has subsequently participated in various performances with the team. She was a member of the Corryvrechan team which represented the UK at the Folk Festival in Moscow in September 2005 which was part of the Russian celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II - a great opportunity to promote international friendship!