43
Canfield dancers compete in Scotland
Photo
Neighbors | Submitted.Lauren Kepley prepares for her first day of competition at the World Championship of Irish Dance in Glasgow, Scotland. .Kepley said she enjoys Irish dance because it comes from Irish tradition.
Photo
Neighbors | Submitted.Lauren Kepley performed at the World Championships of Irish Dance in Glasgow, Scotland. .She placed 45th out of 130 competitors.
Photo
Neighbors | Submitted.During her trip to Glasgow, Scotland, Lauren Kepley visited the Edinburgh Castle. .She described this as her "favorite part" of the trip, other than competing in the World Championships of Irish Dance.
Photo
Neighbors | Submitted.Moira Lumsden, second from left, practices with some of her friends from the Pittsburgh Burke-Conroy School before competition for the World Championships began in Glasgow, Scotland.
Photo
Neighbors | Submitted.Thersa Burke (left), and Lauren Kepley posed together at the World Championship of Irish Dance in Glasgow, Scotland. .Kepley has been dancing at the Burke School of Irish Dance for 14 years and has been to the World Championship six times.
By COURTNEY DENEN
A trip to Scotland is an adventure in itself, but a trip to Scotland to participate in the World Championship of Irish Dance was a milestone event for two young dancers from Canfield.
Lauren Kepley, 18, and Moira Lumsden, 12, have been dancing at the Burke School of Irish Dance since they were 4 years old.
Kepley, a 2010 Canfield High School graduate, credits her grandmother for her passion for Irish dance.
“My grandmother is very involved in her Irish heritage and culture. My grandma signed me up for lessons and I haven’t looked back since,” she said.
Lumsden, a sixth-grader at Canfield Village Middle School, fell in love with Irish dancing after watching the “River Dance” video.
“Traditional Irish folk dancing has no arm movement, a straight upper body and feet turned out,” she said of its uniqueness.
“Irish dance is several groups of traditional dances originating from Ireland,“ said Kepley.
There are two types of shoes used in Irish dance — a soft shoe, or ghillie, and a hard shoe.
“The soft shoe is used for perform the reel, slip jig, and jig,” said Kepley. “The hard shoe is used to perform the treble jig, hornpipe and sets.”
The costumes are just as unique as the dances themselves. Kepley said the dance costumes used to be all Celtic designs, but throughout the years the costumes have evolved.
“There are Irish dance dress designers all over the world,” she said. “We wear curly wigs with our crown piece. The crown piece matches the colors and design of your dress.”
The dresses are “very sparkled” and no two costumes are ever the same. Each dancer has her own unique design. The only time dancers wear the same outfit is in a group dance.
The young dancers qualified for the world championships and left for Glasgow, Scotland, March 30. After the day-long trip, they arrived and prepared for their week of competition and some sightseeing.
In competition, Kepley placed 45th out of 130 competitors. Lumsden placed 58th out of 150 competitors. The top 50 competitors received prizes.
It was Kepley’s first time in Scotland, but not her first time to the world championships. This was her sixth trip to the competition.
For Lumsden, it was a first time for both. For her, the trip was not just about competing. She had the opportunity to experience her family’s heritage for the first time.
“My grandfather’s family is from St. Andrew’s, Scotland, so it was fun to see the homeland,” she said.
As for competing at the championships for the first time, she said it was amazing.
Kepley echoed Lumsden’s feelings about the competition and the trip.
“I had a lot of fun. This trip, it was just my mom and I. We did some sightseeing,” she said.