Lassie's stepping is first-rate

WEST JORDAN — While most 13-year-old girls are out soaking up the final days of summer, Kelsey Crane is in her basement most afternoons trying to perfect the final steps of the Scottish Fling.

Practice has long been a habit for the West Jordan resident, who has been studying Scottish dance since she was 6 years old.

"She practices constantly. She never stops dancing," said Crane's mother, Janene.

Crane's hard work paid off when she was named the U.S. Champion for Scottish dance in her age group at a July 24 competition in Minnesota. The first Utahn ever to receive the title, Crane also took home the best overall award for all age groups from 7 to 18 years and up.

The road to champion has not been easy: Crane has battled both asthma and knee problems for the past several years. Scottish Highland dance is a strenuous and highly aerobic form of dance that entails constant movement and leaping.

"It's hard jumping so much and trying to keep the same energy throughout the dance," Crane said after taking a puff of her asthma inhaler following a quick-paced rendition of the Highland Fling.

But physical problems have not stopped Crane, said dance instructor Heather Donehoo, who has taught Highland dance 20 years. Crane practices for about an hour every day and meets Donehoo for lessons twice a week.

"Once Kelsey started competing, I think she was hooked. She was a natural from the very beginning," Donehoo said.

One reason Crane picked up the dance so quickly, Donehoo added, was that she is a perfectionist, a necessity for the precision of Highland dance. Scottish dancers must place their feet at the exact right spot on the opposite leg and must hold their arms at a precise angle to garner points at competitions.

In her red and white plaid kilt and red velvet vest, Crane's arms are rigidly curved above her head as she begins the Highland Sword Dance. Her middle finger meets her thumb at an exact point and her opening bow is done with machine-like motion. As the bagpipe music quickens, Crane dances between two swords laying crossed on the floor. Her movements are exact, her rhythm perfect.

"Everything has to be technically placed," Donehoo said. "She has all this self-discipline."

That self-discipline has earned Crane a spot in a competition in Scotland next year, where she hopes to win the title of Highland Dance World Champion.

"You always want to get to that next level," Donehoo said. "It's like, OK, she won the U.S. Championship, but that's over. What's next?"

As one of only 1,500 registered Scottish dancers in the United States, Crane is part of an exclusive group of dancers and hopes her talents will eventually earn college scholarships.

Crane plans to continue dancing as she starts eighth grade this fall, even though she is aware of the time constraints and physical fatigue that will make practicing difficult.

"I get tired from dancing, but not of it," she said. "It's one of my priorities — no matter what."

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com