IRISH DANCE – Luck will have it in Panama City

BY VAL SCHOGER; PHOTOS BY KATIE DESANTIS

People of Irish descent or Irish natives are rather scarce in Northwest Florida. However, in Panama City a group of young students can frequently be seen performing traditional Irish Dances during local public events such as the Festival of Nations, St . Patrick’s Day, Friday Fest, Holly Fair, and the Scottish Festival.

Aged four to 15, the young Irish Dancers’ rapid and rhythmic steps stop onlookers who marvel over the fast-paced moves and the colorful costumes . With both arms held straight and tight against their bodies, the dancers move in synchrony, with swift foot movements and, depending on the particular dance, the performers can be seen literally flying through the air .

The dances are part of the Irish culture and, while the origins are not clear, the typical rigid arm positioning is attributed to the fact that during its beginnings, Irish Dance had to be performed in very confined spaces. In the 18th and 19th century, Irish Dance competitions would be held on tabletops and dancers would even perform on top of wooden barrels. While many steps are traditional, Irish Dance is a living tradition and might vary in different areas where it is being danced at social gatherings. The stage show Riverdance brought worldwide attention to Irish Dance in the 1990s . There are several other similar shows that continue to grow the fan base for Irish Dance.

The person who almost singlehandedly brought Irish Dance to Panama City is Ireland native, Teresa Kane, who moved to Panama City in the 1990s from the small town of Millstreet in County Cork, Ireland. She has been dancing since she was three and first danced on stage at four. For many years she was a student at the O’Dwyer School of Irish Dance and has competed in traditional Irish Culture Festivals, called Feiseanna and took part in competitions, Scór na nÓg and Ceoltas.

She started the Panama City-based Irish Dance School in 2004. Certified Irish Dance instructor Niall O’Leary joined in 2007. Today the students are very successful in competitions all over the nation such as the prestigious Southern Region Oireachtas hosted by the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America, Southern Region. The term “Oireachtas” refers to an annual championship competition in Irish Dance and literally means “gathering” in English.

Niall O’Leary, TCRG, ADCRG, a former All-Ireland and World Champion, is from Dublin, Ireland. His Irish Dance teachers included Kevin Massey, proclaimed by Michael Flatley to be the greatest Irish Dancer ever.

O’Leary qualified as an Irish Dance instructor in 1994. In 1996, he put together and choreographed the first-ever multi-national team to compete in the World Irish Dance Championships. He is the Director of the New York City Irish Dance Festival presented by the Irish Arts Center in May each year and also runs an Irish Dancing Feis, a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival in New York City. Once a month he travels to Panama City and works with Teresa Kane teaching our 30 local Irish Dancers and preparing them for national competitions.

The young Irish Dancers are cheered on by their parents. Irish Dance mom Mary Ellen Pozen tells us that her daughter Elizabeth started taking classes when she was in the third grade. “Irish Dance is so different . Once the children see it, they want to be a part of it. It was important to me that my daughter would love it, she did not have to be great.” But Elizabeth very quickly became motivated to advance and become better. She practices every day and her mother tells us that she never really stops . Sometimes she will watch her daughter sit still but her hands will be moving and she will do dance moves.

“Teresa Kane is so genuinely excited for every kid and for their first performance the kids want to make her proud. Everyone is working so hard and there is always that one moment when you can see that everything comes together, the moves, the posture, the steps and the young dancer has an “aha moment.” Teresa gets so excited when she finally sees that moment when everything clicks,” says Mary Ellen and her daughter Elizabeth adds “We know that we are in trouble when Teresa starts speaking Irish.”

Another mom, Kelley Caspary, has been bringing her daughter Kayla to the Irish Dance classes after Kayla saw the group perform at Festival of Nations in downtown Panama City. “She had tried ballet and gymnastics, but didn’t like either,” states Kelley Caspary and points out the benefits of Irish Dance “Irish Dance is an extreme workout for the kids, and it’s fast and fun. It’s also a wonderful way for the children to learn about winning and losing, about teamwork, and individual competition.”

[box type=”shadow” align=”aligncenter” ]The Irish Dancers can be seen performing during the Scottish Festival March 7-8, 2015. There will also be a performance during St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th at Beef O’Bradys and St. Dominic’s Catholic Church.[/box]

To find out more, look at the Facebook site: Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance, Panama City and Southern Region

 

[author image=”https://www.panamacityliving.com/media/2013/08/Val.jpg” ]Val studied communications and marketing in Germany and holds a marketing degree. She had a corporate career and has worked for nine years in media, PR and marketing internationally in Germany, England, the Caribbean and the United States. During an extended sailboat cruise n 2003, she traveled to the Gulf Coast and subsequently to Navarre, Florida and was immediately smitten with Northwest Florida. She started her first business in 2004 in Fort Walton Beach and as of July 2013, she became the sole owner and publisher of Panama City Living Magazine. She obtained her Merchant Mariner Credential (Captain’s License) right here in Panama City at SeaSchool and enjoys being on the water when she finds the time. [/author]