Maggie Olsen, a sophomore at Charlotte Catholic High School, leaps through the air during the soft shoe competition. (Photos by Jeannie DeSena Photography)GREENSBORO — Thousands of Irish dancers descended on Greensboro to compete the annual World Irish Dance Championships April 14-21, including several from right here in the Diocese of Charlotte.
Sandra Connick, owner of the Connick School of Irish Dance in Charlotte, was on the committee who helped bring the world championships to North Carolina. She serves as the treasurer of the CLRG, the Irish Dancing Commission headquartered in Ireland.
“It was a lot of work but it was worth it,” Connick said. “Children in our region may never get a chance to see a world championship because it won’t come back to America for seven years. It was very exciting for those children to see it and be a part of it.”
Dozens of competitors who participated in the world championships belong to parishes around the diocese or are students in our Catholic schools who dance for one of the many Irish dance studios located in the state.
Dancers from the Connick School brought home some hardware.
“Our students are fabulous,” Connick said. “We were thrilled. We came home with six medals which was incredible for our region.”
During the week-long event, St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem sponsored a family ceili night in which dancers and families from all over the world were invited to gather and participate in traditional Irish ceili dancing.
The parish was also among several churches, Catholic schools and Ancient Order of Hibernian chapters who helped recruit volunteers to serve during the competition.
Jane Pueschel and her daughter Katherine, parishioners of St. Leo Church, volunteered all week.
“It was a wonderful experience,” Jane Pueschel said. “For Greensboro to be chosen above Birmingham, England, Anaheim, California and Orlando, Fla., as only the third North American host in 50 years was an honor. It was a fabulous opportunity to volunteer at the event and meet families from all over the world who share the same love for Irish dance.”
Katherine Pueschel competed on an 8-hand ceili team and said, “Competing at the Irish dance world championships was such an amazing experience! I was really nervous but felt proud and excited to represent the Connick School of Irish Dance.
“It was a thrilling experience to for my team to compete on the world stage against the best of the best. To do it at home in the company of my family and friends made it extra special.”
She added, “It was an honor and great experience to volunteer at this event. I met so many wonderful people throughout the week.”
Theresa Olsen was there to support her daughter Maggie, a sophomore at Charlotte Catholic High School in Charlotte.
Irish dancers aged 13-16 from the Connick School of Irish Dance compete during the Irish Dance World Championships held in Greensboro April 14-21. “Maggie has worked so hard to get to this level of dancing and I just want her to show her talent on stage,” Theresa Olsen explained. “I pray for her to not slip on stage and get injured, and for her to not let her nerves get the best of her.”
She noted that this level of competition “is so high and the dancers are all highly trained athletes at this stage. One might think of ‘Riverdance’ performers when you think of this competition, but the competitors are doing all sorts of new and innovative dance moves and tricks that require them to move quickly around the stage with other international competitors dancing at the same time vying for the judges’ attention. It really is exciting to watch!”
Maggie Olsen shared that the comraderie of these events is important to her.
“I really love attending Worlds because I’ve made friends internationally so I get to see them there,” she said.
Father Felix Nkafu of St. Leo Church celebrated two Masses for competitors and their families at the competition venue, a Palm Sunday Vigil Mass and an Easter Sunday Mass.
In his Palm Sunday Vigil Mass homily, Father Felix told those gathered for Mass, “Beginning this great event of World Irish Dancing Championships with the celebration of Holy Mass is an acknowledgment that the talents of dancing are from God, to unite His children more in the love that He created.”
“Only the love of God could bring us together to celebrate and encourage the talents God has endowed up on these dancers,” he said.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Competition results
Jane and Katherine Pueschel, parishioners of St. Leo Church in Winston-Salem, volunteered all week during the world championships where Katherina also competed.At www.clrg.ie: Check out the full list of winners from the 2019 World Irish Dance Championships in Greensboro