The North American Irish Dance Championships was recently hosted in Montreal, and three talented dancers from Walkerton competed.
Dance Director, Maureen Miller, says Avery McGregor, Madalynn McGregor and Kate Bester, represented our area extremely well.
“I’m just really proud of these girls. They represented Walkerton very well, they represented the school very well, and they love it and they’re very happy. I’m glad they had a really good time.”
The three all competed in the Under 15 Open Championship. Avery was in the 15A group with over 150 dancers. Avery had 3 solid rounds and placed 43rd which is her highest result to date.
Madalynn and Kate were in 15B with over 150 dancers. Madalynn received her first recall, performed 3 solid rounds and placed 63rd in this group.
This was Kate’s first time qualifying for the North American Championships and she was not far off from recalling and was very happy with her results.
Miller says she was inspired by how determined and dedicated they were throughout their lessons.
“During the pandemic, these girls never gave up. We did Zoom classes online and they were there every time I held a class. They practiced their steps over and over again and went through drills. They were committed, very committed.”
She explains Irish dancing takes a lot of work to do successfully, and qualifying for the championships shows great athleticism.
“It’s very fast paced, the steps are very quick. There’s a lot of intricate movements and your timing and rhythm are very important. You have to keep your arms by your side, shoulders back, and have nice posture, while using your core muscles to lift you and guide you.”
The event occurred July 1st to July 6th in Montreal, and had 4000 dancers from across the world compete.
If you are interested in learning Irish dancing from Miller, you can check out her website, www.milleririshdance.com/home.
Read original story from Midwestern Ontario News – BlackburnNews.com