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CHARLOTTE STUDENTS EARN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES

By: Casey Corser

Among its many accolades, Charlotte can now declare itself the home of several of the newest World Champions of Traditional Irish Dance.

This Celtic discipline has moved to the forefront of Theatre Stages and living rooms around the globe due to the popularity of Riverdance! Previously, unknown to many, traditional Irish Step Dancing is now appreciated for its pure athleticism, speed and beauty- just like any other Olympic style event.

Charlotte’s School of Traditional Irish Dance, Rince na h’ Eireann ( translated to Dance of Ireland), sent 29 dancers to Ennis, County Clare, Ireland to compete at the World Championships, held March 20 th – 27 th, 2005. Similar to the Olympics, these fine athletes represented the City of Charlotte; and, the United States of America while competing against more than 4,000 other world qualifiers representing over 20 countries.

Proudly, Rince na h’Eireann’s Patrick Quinlivan, a freshman at Butler High School, earned the United States’ Highest Placing Medal in his competition. Amid a field of 47 other world qualifiers, Patrick finished an outstanding 4 th place, in the Boys (15-16) category.

PierceBeach, a sophomore at Myers Park High School, also received Top Honors with a 16th place finish in the Men’s (16-17) event. These are tremendous accomplishments in very difficult and competitive categories.

Because of their outstanding performances at this year’s World Competition, both of these young men have automatically earned the privilege to compete at the 2006 World Championships to be held next spring in Belfast, Ireland. And, as you read this, both are practicing diligently to once again represent their school and our City at the NorthAmerican Nationals this July in Nashville, Tennessee.

In the Team Categories, also earning one of the Highest Ranking United States finishes, Rince na h’Eireann’s Junior Mixed (boys & girls) Ceili achieved a remarkable 4 th place. Rince na h’Eireann qualified 4 (four) teams to compete at this World Championship, an unprecedented number, quickly identifying Rince na h’ Eireann as a fierce competitor on the world stage!

Historically, these events have been dominated by wins from overseas competitors primarily from the United Kingdom ( England, Scotland, and Wales) and Ireland. Not any more! Rince na h’Eireann, under the direction of Mrs. Sandra Connick, T.C.R.G., is rapidly becoming recognized for its outstanding dancing and team choreography.

Rince na h’Eireann School of Traditional Dance is a non-profit organization, and all proceeds collected through performances or sponsorships are used to assist in underwriting the expenses of the students attending this competition. Without the financial assistance of these donations, many of these talented, athletic dancers would not be able to compete at this level.

 

All of the students who qualified to compete at the World Championships are:

Soloist:

Patrick Quinlivan, Pierce Beach, Wesley McPherson, Matthew Lord

Mary Jo Rigney, Taryn Stern, Victoria Cumbie, Holly Cooke

Meg Johnstone, Jennifer Britt

Team Members: (teams also included the above mentioned soloist)

Killian Connick, Brian Waldrep, Mary Lauren Kurtz, Kristy Cooke

Melissa Kelly, Hillary Dawe, Torey Smiley, Haylee Dawe

Catie Cristante, April Cooke, Rachel Lane, Anna Cumbie

Abby Lane, Meghan Bullock, Stephanie Britt, Erin Burke

Megan Gassaway, Kaitlin Wutschel, Brady Campbell