Countdown to the North American Irish Dancing Championships: A Week of Precision and Passion
- John O’Brien, Jr.
- July 1, 2024
- Edited 3 weeks ago
Table of Contents
Gearing Up for the North American Irish Dancing Championships
The North American Irish Dancing Championships, also known as the North American Nationals, will be held in Grapevine, Texas, over the week of July 4th. This championship is open to dancers from all over the world, and dancers from North America must qualify in their regional championships or by achieving the highest level of competition, open championships.
The preparation is intense, and dancers are in the final stages of preparation to be at their peak performance level for the day(s) of their competition(s). Competitions for teams as well as solos will take place, spread out over the week.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Families will pack up and travel by trains, planes, and automobiles to get to the competition venue in Texas, with hopes that their dancer(s) are able to have clean rounds and put their best on the stage. In this sport, you have only one chance for each dance to nail it, with very little room for error. The dancers come with high expectations, and many bring dancing nerves with them too.
Panels of judges score each performance, dropping the high and low scores as a form of “checks and balances” to get the fairest overall placements for the dancers.
Dancers can compete in a variety of competitions, including team dances, solos, and/or traditional set dances. Some dancers travel for teams alone, while others travel for the solo competition. Many travel and participate in both teams and solos. The team dances are performed in soft shoes, solos are done in both hard and soft shoes, and the traditional set competitions are performed in hard shoes.
Many of the competitions have well over one hundred competitors and often get so large that they have to split the competition into two groups. In more recent years, dancers come back up for a number check after each group of about thirty to forty dancers so scores can be double-checked and properly assigned. With the large number of dancers, this step has been helpful in ensuring the accuracy of scores.
Preparation for this major competition involves many days and hours in the dance studio, cross fitness, as well as stretching and consuming a healthy diet. Irish dancers are truly all-around athletes. Like many other sports these days, Irish dancers work with experts outside of Irish dance to gain skill and knowledge around things like posture, turnout, power, strength, and so much more.
As we approach the week of July 4th, please keep the Irish dance community in your thoughts and prayers for safe travel, optimal performance, and for creating cherished memories.
