Our Instructors
Emily Ritter: Co-Director
Lead: Adult Classes
Emily Ritter (she/her) began Scottish dancing at the age of four in her hometown of Kansas City. She has made a name for herself as an award-winning dancer in the United States and internationally, both competitively and as a performer. As a certified member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD), she has enjoyed sharing her passion for dance with students of all ages as a professional dance teacher for over fifteen years. In addition to her position as Co-Dance Director of the New York Caledonian School of Highland Dance, Emily is also the Social Media Director and Choreographer for Shot of Scotch NYC, NYC’s Premier Scottish Highland Dance performance company. When not dancing, Emily works as as an Assistant Director of Digital Marketing in the publishing industry. She holds a BA in English and History from Washington University in St. Louis.
Stephanie Ward: Co-Director
Lead: Kids’ Classes
Stephanie Ward (she/her) began her competitive dance career at the age of six in Colorado. Her competitive highlights include twice placing in the top three in North America for her knowledge of dance theory as a student at the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD) North American conference, and thrice qualifying for the US National Highland Dancing Championships (most recently in 2023).
Stephanie became a certified instructor through the BATD by passing her first teaching exam at age 16. She has continued to further her professional development since then and today is a Member of the Highland branch and an Associate of the Scottish National branch.
In addition to her position as Co-Dance Director of the NYCC School of Highland Dance, Stephanie is the Membership Director for the performance group Shot of Scotch NYC and continues to compete as she is able. Additionally, Stephanie has performed on professional Highland dance performance teams around the world, most recently in the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Internationale Taptoe Belgie in Oostende, Belgium, and the Virginia International Tattoo in Norfolk, VA.
When not dancing, Stephanie works in the Management Consulting industry. She holds a BSE in Operations Research and Financial Engineering and a certificate in Environmental Policy from Princeton University.
