| Dublin has got nothing on us. When it comes to producing world-class competitive Irish dancers, our bustling cow town doesn’t take a back seat to the Emerald Isle’s biggest city.
In a southeast Calgary strip mall, the Irish Dancing Irwin School carries on its long tradition of grooming some of the finest Celtic dancers on the planet. Take current student, 12-year-old Ian Gott, who will compete at this year’s Irish Dance World Championships during Easter week in Ennis, Ireland. Gott took up his passion for Irish dance at the tender age of four through a strange set of circumstances.
"My parents used to be caretakers at a school where they had the (Irish) dancing," he explains. "I used to peek through the doors and watch." Once he’d convinced his parents to let him try the dance form, he took to it straight away and is now one of the best in his division.
Founder Finnaula Irwin started her school about 10 years ago with just four students. It grew steadily and successfully, but really took off after the Riverdance-Lord of the Dance touring-show phenomenon exploded in the early 1990s.
Those productions continue to have a huge influence, says Irwin’s daughter and school instructor Andrea Irwin Jardine. "Even today, whenever one of those shows is broadcast on television, the following day we’ll get at least 10 phone calls from people interested in Irish dancing."
Due to its strenuous physical demands, competitive Celtic dancing is a pursuit for the young – Jardine and her sister Sarah both retired at age 26. One of the school’s current stars is a very accomplished twentysomething named Cathy Sobieski. Watching her confident, contented expression as she bounds and springs with effortless grace, you can tell how much she loves Irish dancing. Still, she’s comfortable with the fact she’s nearing the end of her competitive run.
"I think I can honestly say I have done the best I could in my past years," she says, "and I think I am ready to maybe move onto the teaching side of things."
One young person not looking to hang up his dancing shoes anytime soon is Ryan McCaffrey, arguably the most notable graduate of the Irwin School. As the current lead dancer of the North American Riverdance touring company, 22-year-old McCaffrey has recently been making the media rounds, showing up on Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
For a modest but talented Calgary kid, it’s the fulfilment of a dream. "When I started dancing, this is the sort of thing I always aspired to do," he says. "Now that it’s all unfolding in front of me, it’s great."
McCaffrey is grateful that the Irwin School has provided him with a circle of friends and a support structure second to none.
"That was my entire childhood, really," he says. "I kind of grew up dancing and of all the people that I started with a good 18 years ago, there were about 12 of us that have stuck together. All of our parents are really good friends and when I come home we still do things together."
As a trainer of champions such as Gott and Sobieski, Finnaula Irwin is not surprised that McCaffrey has reached star status. "I knew he had good rhythm," she says. "He started with me at three years old and he was always dancing. He never stopped. Even when he was meant to be playing soccer, he was dancing. He was a wonderful member of the school and we’re very proud of him." |
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