Local Irish dance school holds its own at regional competition
Local dancers from The McAleer School of Irish Dance traveled to Philadelphia over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Oireachtas, the yearly qualifying competition for the North American and World Irish Dance Championships. It’s the first year the local outpost of the Wilmington-based dance school, which started classes in Lewes in 2014, has sent a team of competitors to the Oireachtas. They did Sussex County proud, with a young, U8 4-Hand team winning fourth place in a field of 33 teams, and three other dancers placing in solo and traditional set dance competitions.
Two teams of dancers began practices in September, learning an intricate, traditional 4-hand folk dance that requires the execution of a prescribed sequence of both precise footwork and hand exchanges. “Preparing to compete at this level is a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun. Dancing with your friends is what teams are all about,” said teacher Erin Fletcher.
And fun is what they had at the awards ceremony that Saturday night, as the U8 4-Hand team of Claire Denham, Mikaela Gordon, Mackenzie Hayhurst and Erin Noonan, waited for their competition number to be called. “It’s an incredible achievement to land in the top 5 at Oireachtas,” said Fletcher, “especially for a first-year team at such a young age. But they danced beautifully, and they deserved it.”
Other local dancers representing the Lewes McAleer school included Mya DiSabatino, Addison Freebery, Mia Gordon and Lily Noonan, who made up a U10 4-Hand, and who all also competed as individuals.
The Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and the eastern half of Pennsylvania, drew 2,334 solo competitors and 689 teams to the Oireachtas this year.
Other notable finishes included Erin Noonan, who finished seventh in the U8 Traditional Set Dance, and Lily Noonan, who finished eighth in the U11 Traditional Set Dance. Claire Denham finished 18th in the U8 Girls Solo Competition, which qualified her to compete at the North American Irish Dance Championships in Vancouver, B.C., in July.
The McAleer School of Irish Dance is headed by Veronica McAleer McCrea, originally of Belfast, Ireland, who celebrated 50 years of teaching in 2017. Classes are held in Lewes, Claymont and Yorklyn. Follow on Instagram at @mcaleerschoolofirishdance.
