Rae MacCulloch has had a great influence on our young people since 1955 when she had her first dancing class in Glen Roy with seven students. Since then, hundreds of young people have been instructed by Rae and these same youngsters have traveled worldwide promoting the culture of Glengarry.

It is estimated that Rae taught from 3000 to 4000 students over her nearly fifty years of instruction. Rae was among those instrumental in the initiation of the Glengarry concerts staged on a regular basis first at the National Arts Centre and later at the Centrepoint Theatre.

Rae MacCulloch and Clara MacLeod at the St. Raphael’s Galarama, July 2007.

In more recent years, she and her troupe performed in the United States, Puerto Rico, Belgium, Bulgaria, Scotland, Mexico, Spain and the Republic of China. Locally, each January to celebrate Robbie Burns Day, Rae gracefully filled the role of hostess, entertaining with dinner, music, song and dance at the Bonnie Glen. It is here as well as at the St. Andrew’s Day festivities and the Friday night Tattoo at the Highland Games where we witnessed her impact on our young teenagers as they showed their talent and their appreciation of our Celtic heritage.

She and her MacCulloch Dancers have been featured on TV, at national and international events and are present at almost every local event in Glengarry and surrounding area. Rae was an ardent promoter of our Celtic heritage and has passed her talent on to her family; her daughters and granddaughters are also involved in Scottish dancing and choreography.