by Chelsea Birchmier

For many of the patrons at Danny Mann’s pub in Killarney, Ireland, it was just another lively night at the pub, as a local band called The Bill Kennedy Trio played a few Irish dance tunes to a crowded audience. But for STA sophomore and Irish dancer Jillian Gallagher, who was celebrating her 14th birthday in Ireland, the night was anything but ordinary. Not only did the local band invite Gallagher to dance a spontaneous Irish reel in front of everyone at the pub, but the manager enjoyed her performance so much that he picked up her family’s bill at the end of the night.

“I was somewhat nervous in the beginning,” Gallagher said. “But it was fun just to experience something else. Just everyone watching me in Ireland was pretty cool.”

Eleven years ago, 5-year-old Gallagher, mesmerized by Irish dancers at a St. Patrick’s Day parade, begged her mom to sign her up. Her mom signed her up for lessons the following fall, and since then, Gallagher has danced with the O’Riada-McCarty-Manning Academy of Irish Dance (OMM for short) in Lawrence, Kan; now she is preparing to perform in a St. Patrick’s Day parade herself.

According to Gallagher, Irish dance requires extreme dedication. She dances at least 8 hours a week, practicing on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and teaching younger levels on Sundays. Whenever she has a performance or a “feis” (a competition) coming up, Gallagher must devote even more time to dancing.

“All my friends know I do Irish dance because it takes a commitment,” Gallagher said. “Last year, I had to give up my Fridays to dance. I travel all around the nation for competitions probably once a month on a Saturday, so I give up my weekends for that too. People will be like, “Wanna hang out?’ and I’ll be like, ‘No sorry I have a dance competition.’”

Although she has given up countless weekends, missing school dances and other events because of her dancing schedule, Gallagher believes her hard work pays off when it’s time to perform. She has performed with the Celtic band the Elders and in three basketball half-time shows at the University of Kansas and has worked with lead roles from Riverdance, an Irish dance company that performs across the world. Also, last year, Gallagher’s team got 18th place out of 60 teams at Regionals in Chicago, and now, Gallagher hopes to continue on to Nationals.

Ms. Diane Gallagher, Jillian’s mom, said that she is extremely proud of her daughter’s dedication to Irish dance.

“[Jillian has] invested so much time and commitment,” Diane said. “She’s experienced both great joy and hard disappointments along the way. We admire her for sticking with this journey.”

OMM instructor and STA alumna Emily McCarty also praises Jillian’s dedication.

“Jillian has always been a very dedicated and hard-working dancer,” McCarty said. “She progressed from the beginner class all the way to our Championship class. She is also a devoted teaching assistant and does a wonderful job helping the newest Irish dancers at OMM.”

At OMM, McCarty teaches several forms of Irish dance. According to McCarty, traditional Irish step dance is the type of dance one would see at an Irish dance competition.

“[In traditional Irish step] dancers wear traditional pleated dresses with celtic knot embroidery and curly wigs and perform steps with ornate footwork, keeping their arms relaxed at their side,” McCarty said.

Within Irish step dance, there are several other forms of dance which students perform based on their ages and levels. Types of dances include the reel, light jig, single jig, slip jig, treble jig, hornpipe and set dances. Since Jillian is in preliminary championships, she performs reel and hornpipe dances. Dancers wear soft shoes for reel dances and hard shoes for hornpipe dances.

OMM instructors also teach ceili dancing, which is similar to country line dancing. Dancers dance in groups of 4, 8, 16 or more and perform dances which McCarty says were originally arranged by masters of dance in Ireland hundreds of years ago. Finally, OMM hosts several classes which focus on modern Irish step.

“[Modern Irish dance classes] incorporate current music, interpretive arm movements and up-to-date costumes all while staying true to what we do best, the crowd-pleasing Irish dance rhythms and footwork,” McCarty said.

And according to McCarty, talented dancers have many options to continue with Irish dance after high school. She says that Jillian could join an Irish dance team at a college like St. Louis University, University of Notre Dame or Boston College. She could also audition for dance company like Riverdance or become a dance instructor.

“Many colleges have Irish dance clubs or groups that are made up of a network of current and past Irish dancers from across the country that all attend the same college,” McCarty said.

Jillian would like to attend a college with an Irish dance team, but she said it won’t be a deciding factor. If she does though, $1000 scholarships are available for seniors who are Irish dancers and get good grades.

“I’m not going to stop until senior year,” Jillian said. “The college that I go to, if it has an Irish dance team I’ll probably try out for that so I can keep it with me for as long as I can.”

While her passion for Irish dance makes Jillian want to continue for as long as she can, the close friends she’s made through dancing encourage her to continue as well.

STA freshman Marley Schmidtlein, who dances with Jillian, also appreciates the strong bond between teammates.

“I love the girls I dance with,” Schmidtlein said. “They are like family. They help me be a better dancer. We have a lot of fun together, and it’s impossible not to get excited about their accomplishments, dance or otherwise.”

Although she competes against Jillian, Schmidtlein admires Jillian’s enthusiasm for dance, cheering her on just like she would any other friend.

“Jillian stands out because she is hard-working and spirited about dance,” Schmidtlein said. “She wants to do well, so she pushes herself. Jillian and I compete against each other, but we are still teammates, and we want each other to do well. We hope for each other’s success and help each other reach it, as does everyone on the team.”

Like Schmidtlein, Jillian values the friendships she has formed with her fellow dancers, and she hopes they will remain with her even if she doesn’t continue Irish dancing after high school.

“I’m very close with the people I dance with,” Jillian said. “I have friends from all over the nation that I keep seeing at competitions, and we act like normal friends. It’s like a bond you’ll never break.”