GREENSBORO — An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, the world’s premiere Irish dance organization, will host the 49th annual World Irish Dancing Championships at the Koury Convention Center April 14-21.
The world championships, called “Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne” in Gaelic, is the Olympics of Irish dance – a prestigious event where elite dancers from every corner of the globe will converge on Greensboro and battle it out to become “Champions of the World.”
This is the first time that this event has been hosted in the Southern Region and only the third time the event has taken place in North America. As the largest and most prestigious Irish dancing contest globally, which has run for nearly five decades, “The Worlds” is coming to Greensboro after the city fought off stiff competition from venues worldwide.
The world championships are expected to attract in excess of 5,000 competitors in solo, céilí, figure-choreography and dance drama categories in a variety of age groups.
Aged from eight to 30, competitors will travel to Greensboro for the event from more than 27 countries including Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Russia, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Australia and Canada. An estimated 25,000 spectators, comprised of friends, family, teachers and supporters, are also expected. In all, the competition figures to boost the city’s economy by around $20 million.
Catholics throughout the Greensboro area, including St. Leo the Great Parish and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, are supporting the international event in various ways.
This year’s championships in Greensboro will be a truly vibrant festival, presenting the best in Irish dancing. Through nine days of intense competition, former champions will defend titles and new champions will be crowned. Ancillary events such as music and Irish language sessions, social events for dancers and the World Ball, are also being organized.
Entry to the competition will be strictly controlled using a wristband system, but North Carolina residents and any military personnel can obtain a free wristband each day during the competition at the Oireachtas welcome desk, located in the foyer of the Sheraton Hotel. Photo identification will be required for each wristband issued. Wristbands for the following day will be available between 4 and 6 p.m. each afternoon.
See breathtaking displays of talent from the world’s most skilled dancers, who have worked relentlessly for the past year to ensure they bring their very best to North Carolina. The traditional aspects of Irish step dance will fuse with increasing athleticism, innovation in choreography and rhythm to demonstrate a modern and truly inspiring evolution of this cultural dance form.
Dancers as young as 10 years old must perform three dances (in both soft and hard shoes) in front of three rotating panels of seven international adjudicators. This year, because of a significant increase in participant numbers, we are introducing a double recall and all but the two youngest age groups will perform over two days in a system involving heats, semi-finals and a final round. Teams are made up of eight or 16 members, and they dance traditional “céilí” or figure dances with precision and synchronization.
Musical accompaniment for the event will be provided by teams of experienced Feis musicians from all around the world
The honoree for this year’s event is Mary Lou Schade, who has made an outstanding contribution to Irish Dancing in North America and throughout the world.
— Catholic News Herald