If you know me you probably know that Irish step dancing is my entire life. I’ve done Irish dance since I was eight years old, although I’ve done every type of dance since I was three. I am now in my early 20s and I can honestly say with all my heart that this form of dance is special to me for many reasons, from the incredible people I have met, the amazing places I have traveled to, to the culture that I have fallen in love with and the way it’s changed my life and will impact me from here on out.
I am a competitive Irish dancer and I travel around the country and even overseas to compete and present the hard work and dedication it takes to be in such a physically and mentally demanding sport. In fact, something really big is about to occur in my life. In about two weeks, I will be traveling to Belfast, Northern Ireland to compete in the biggest competition in the entire Irish dance community, the Oireachtas Rince Na Cruinne, or in simpler words, the World Irish Dance Championships. I will be a part of the 1% of dancers from our commission that are qualified to represent our countries at this prestigious competition. I will be competing against girls my age from all over the world, and needless to say, I’m so pumped.
If you have any idea about what Irish dance is, you’re most likely thinking of Riverdance, where dancers are in a line moving their feet at crazy speeds in unison while making it look effortless. That is a more traditional style of Irish dance. However, the style that I do is much different and involves crazy jumps, footwork, movement around a floor, wigs, sparkly dresses, fake tan to define the muscles, all while keeping my arms by my side and a smile on my face, to make it all look easy of course. But making it look so easy in the midst of all the chaos is constantly one of the hardest things I have to put myself through almost every day I dance. Irish dancing is extremely difficult and requires just as much mental ability as it does physical ability. I train between 8-12 hours a week in the studio and travel to competitions almost every month. When it comes down to the dancing itself, it is insane. A routine that is only a minute and a half long will have my legs numb, my body drenched in sweat and my chest aching as I try to catch even the slightest bit of air.
You might be wondering, “Why does she put herself through so much torture all the time?” and you do make a good point. The answer is simple: I spend hours upon hours beating my body up so I can be the best dancer I can possibly be, and it proves that hard work actually pays off. There are six levels of competitive Irish dance, and I am in level six. Being at this level means that I can automatically compete at the regional championships and the North American championships. However, in order to be able to qualify for worlds, I have to place in a certain small percentage at either of these competitions, which is extremely difficult. It really comes down to who is the best of the best of everyone competing in each age group, and dancers are out for blood. I started taking my training more seriously in 2018 after I graduated high school and since then I have qualified for worlds three times at regionals. Each year became more and more pressuring because I didn’t want to lose my place, so I train like crazy to make sure I still come out on top and can be a part of that 1%.
It’s a lot, trust me, I have also asked myself why I put myself through something so demanding, but it’s made me the dancer I am today, and I am so thankful for that. I now get the honor of being one of the small number of dancers that will represent the USA, and that itself means the world to me. This year’s championship is even more special than the rest because it is the 50th anniversary and the first time the competition will happen after COVID hit. I have put in months of blood, sweat and tears to prepare for this and I am ready for it all. Belfast, you better watch out.