Olivia Lawlor School’s fantastic trip to Nashville
The globalisation of Irish dancing in recent years has led to increased entries from British-based dancers in major dance events around the world. However, even an internal journey to compete in national championships is a costly business in terms of travel, accommodation, and competition entry fees.
Dancers’ parents need to think more than twice about the expense of taking their children overseas. Most, if not all dance schools, spend time and energy organising events that will help ensure that their best dancers can be assisted with the expense of being at the European championships or the North American championships, which this year were held in Nashville, Tennessee.
The major competition fund of one such school, the Olivia Lawlor School, was recently given a boost after a chance meeting between one of their committee and a businessman friend. Mike Peries — director of Shannon Micro Electronics — heard about the school’s aspirations to send seven of its dancers to Nashville. He immediately offered the total costs of travel and accommodation for all dancers and accompanying adults. Mike, whose father is from Sri Lanka, is also proud of his Irish roots. His mother Esther Mary Peries, nee Wall, is formerly of Charleville, Co. Cork, and he was happy to support an Irish cultural activity.
I met the dancers last weekend at the Maguire O’Shea feis in Essex. They told me that their US trip was a fabulous dance experience, where five of them had gained recalls in their championships, and two gained places in the top 10.
|
