The Trip of a Lifetime

8 Days, 7 Nights of pure IRISH fun!

Irish Dancing Magazine announced today the 3rd annual tour of Ireland in the Summer of 2020. The trip is designed for fans of Irish Dance & Trad Irish music.

LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE - Secure your spot by making a deposit of $199.00 which is fully refundable thru 12/31/2019!

If you are a dancer who has dreamed of visiting Ireland or just someone who admires the Irish culture, check this out!

Open to dancers, parents, singles, grandparents, and friends who enjoy Irish Dance & Trad Irish Music. Those under the age of 18, must be accompanied by an adult.

Trip 1: Depart July 25th, Arrive into Ireland July 26th. Tour dates: July 26th-August 2nd (fly home August 2nd)

Trip 2: Depart August 1st, Arrive into Ireland August 2nd. Tour Dates: August 2nd-August 9th (fly home August 9th).

Nessa Storms

The Academy

Mid-America, USA

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - In every issue of Irish Dancing Magazine we hope to inspire dancers to achieve their goals in dance! Below are a few of the questions we asked our current cover star, Nessa Storms, who dances in the U17 age group for The Academy, Mid-America, USA.

Nessa is a top competitor in her age group, placing 5th at the 2018 & 2019 Worlds along with winning the 2019 North American Irish Dancing Championships. She dances under the Irish Dancing Teacher's Association of North America's CLRG organisation.

Read more in our July issue. Subscribe now by clicking HERE and request to begin with our July issue to see the complete 5-page interview in print - simply INSPIRING!

What is your absolute best memory of your Irish Dance career? I have many amazing dancing memories over the years, from winning Ceili and Figure titles at the World Championships, to winning our Oireachtas and placing on the podium two years in a row at the All Ireland and World Championships.

But one memory I love would have to be when my school did our production of The Wizard of Oz. During all of the rehearsals, there were so many laughs, and this was the time we could have our fun. Doing our shows gives us such a different view of dance. We combine acting and dancing to make one amazing production. Rehearsals do get stressful sometimes because the productions are very fast paced and professional. Our teachers expect us to be our very best. But, when you walk on the stage for the actual show, all your hard work pays off and the experience is so exhilarating!

Top Advice for Dancers

What Judges Look For!

Sharon Whelan MacSweeney ADCRG, BG of the Whelan Academy of Irish Dance

Offers Important Advice to Dancers. *Partial reprint of our article - r ead more in our July/August issue

What big competitions have you judged?

I have judged the Australian Nationals, New Zealand Nationals, many North American qualifiers along with judging in Ireland and England.

Each of these competitions filled me with great pride because when my parents immigrated from Ireland and registered my sisters and I at dance lessons, little did they know that it would be such a worldwide phenomenon.

It is a joy watch to watch dancers from all over the world perform a dance form that I love so much. I am very lucky to be such an active adjudicator and to judge throughout the United States on a regular basis.

Dancers often ask how adjudicators handle common blunders such as trips, slips and falls. Do you mark down dancers for these issues?

All three of these can be quite different. You need to be able to evaluate the situation quickly and determine what the cause was. Sometimes it is as easy as a slippery part of the floor but other times it can be caused by over dancing or aggressive dancing. A sign of a good dancer is one that can continue their performance and overcome a slip or a knock from another dancer.