A Passionate Journey: Violet Township Irish Dancers
March 9, 2024
By Eve Copeland
In the heart of Ohio, a vibrant community of Irish dance enthusiasts has been flourishing, weaving together tradition, dedication, and a shared love for the art form. For Michelle Leasor and her daughters, Irish dance isn’t just a hobby; it’s a way of life.
From the echoing rhythms of hard shoes striking the floor to the graceful movements that tell stories of ancient folklore, the journey of Irish dance is as much about passion as it is about perseverance.
From weekly classes to regional competitions and even international stages, the dancers thrive on a shared dedication to excellence. Through sweat, tears, and moments of triumph, dancers and families alike stand united, fueled by a love for Irish culture and a deep appreciation for the artistry of dance.
“Solo Dresses” Handmade in Ireland
The fancy and sparkly costumes that Irish dancers wear are called solo dresses and vests (or jackets), and each one is unique and handmade, many of which from Irish dressmakers. Once a dressmaker has designed and created a solo dress, that dress is the only one that exists in the world. Dancers earn the right to wear a solo dress after working up to past a novice level. Levels in competitive Irish dance begin with Beginner, then Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary Championship, and Open Championship.
Competitions or Feiseanna
Irish dance competitions are called feiseanna (pronounced “fesh-AHN-nuh” – singular is “feis” pronounced “fesh”). Feiseanna include mostly dancing (solo or ceili – pronounced “KAY-lee” and means group dance), but some larger feiseanna include traditional Irish music (tin whistle, vocals, fiddle), Irish language and poetry and baking.
Irish dance traditionally has live music, which preserves the culture of performing in pubs and small events. Each time a dancer attends a feis, they prepare solo choreography steps for several dances, including the jig, reel, slip jig (girls/women only), treble jig, hornpipe, and traditional set.
With the exception of the traditional set dances (which are the same music for each dance), a dancer never knows what song will be played while they are dancing.
“If you practice with a certain song with reel steps and only practice with that song, if you don’t know any better, you will be surprised when you get to a feis and the musician doesn’t play that song,” Leasor said. “You have to know your steps well because you don’t know which song will be played. The musicians typically perform on accordion or fiddle, sometimes with a percussion backing track like a metronome.”
Local Irish Dance Studios
Dancers in the Pickerington community attend The Irwin Academy of Irish Dance in Gahanna, The Academy in Westerville, Richens Timm in Dublin, ML Dance Academy in Reynoldsburg/Columbus, and Rankin Holland in Hilliard.
“I love that Irish dance has deep roots and that Irish dance schools and teachers must comply with strict standards,” Leasor said.
All dance teachers, for example, must be certified by an official Irish dance organization in Ireland. One of those organizations is the An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (“The Irish Dancing Commission”), but there are several others.
The previously mentioned schools have teachers who are TCRGs, or “Teagascóir Coimisiún Le Rinci Gaelacha”, which means that they have passed a series of difficult exams, including Irish language, dance, and culture, and they are certified to teach traditional Irish dance.
“I love pretty much all of the Irish culture, and I’m learning both traditional Irish music own and speaking and reading Irish Gaelic language on my own,” Leasor said.
Pickerington Dancers Ranked Internationally
Bella Rogers (The Academy) has been dancing for 13 years. She is ranked first in the Midwest (Mid-America region) and fourth in the world in her age group. Bella has competed and placed nationally and internationally at the North American National Championships, the Great Britain Championships, and the All-Ireland Championships.
Bella also participates in her ceili team at The Academy, where they have won several world champion titles as a team. Ceili (pronounced liked the name, Kelly) is traditional Irish group dancing.
Bella says that Irish dance is a combination of a tradition art form and a sport, and she has developed a strong work ethic and other skills that she could not have learned from any other activity.
Andrei, Alexey, and Polina Hannes (ML Dance Academy) are ranked in the top 10 in the Mid-America region as well. Alexey, ranked 7th in Mid-America, has been dancing since he was five and says that Irish dance makes him feel happy, while Andrei, ranked 5th in Mid-America, has also been dancing since he was five.
The brothers began dancing when they were each four years old and Polina started at eight. Joseph Moriarty, owner and Irish Dance instructor at ML Dance, described the family as “great kids and hard workers.”
Rewards of Dance Class
Andrei said that it helps him with exercise and that he loves earning medals, awards, and cups for his success at competitions. Polina participates in many different styles of dance, from ballet to lyrical, and she has found success in all of her dance forms. She also enjoys the discipline it takes to be a competitive Irish dancer.
Leasor’s daughters Lauren and Cordelia are also ranked in the Mid-America region. Lauren has been dancing for six years and enjoys the traditional performance aspect of Irish dance and looks forward to participating in pub hops around Pickerington and Canal Winchester over St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
Cordelia loves to compete and has earned her way up to a Prizewinner level although she has only been dancing for three years. The entire Leasor family participates in ceili dancing at the Irwin Academy of Irish Dance.
Leasor became involved with Irish dance herself after her daughters started participating.
“I saw them having fun and thought it would be a great form of exercise,” she said. “Plus, I love the cultural aspect of Irish dance and that it’s a unique dance form that not many people participate in, particularly adults. At our dance school, we have about 24 adults.”
For Victoria Raymond, who dances at the Irwin Academy, Irish dance has helped her feel more connected with other kids, particularly after pandemic-related closures. Irish dance has helped Victoria and other dancers feel more confidence in every aspect of their lives. The sense of accomplishment that the dancers get from dancing and competing in this year-round sport encourages them to do their best and work harder in each class and competition.
The Moriarty’s ML Dance Academy
The ML Dance Academy (2002 Officeview Place, Reynoldsburg) is owned by Joseph Moriarty and Yulia Lukyanova Moriarty. Joseph, who grew up in Pickerington, won his first national title for Irish dancing at the age of five.
Joseph left Pickerington High School after his sophomore year to join Riverdance in 1997 at the age of 16 and by age 18 he had become the principal dancer. He toured with the show until 2011.
Per the ML Dance Academy website, “Joseph is to date, the youngest male ever to be given the principal role. He is the second North American male to be given the lead role in the history of the show. Joseph was the longest male lead in Riverdance history.”
Joesph’s wife Yulia grew up in Russia where she began ballet at the age of six. “
In Moscow in 2007, she auditioned for Riverdance the Show and joined The Moscow Ballet Company where she performed folk ballet and contemporary ballet. Mrs. Lukyanova Moriarty toured with Riverdance until the summer of 2011.”
Nine years ago, the couple settled in central Ohio and opened ML Dance Academy.
“We opened up our studio in Pickerington in 2013 opposite of Pick North High School,” Joseph said. “We purchased our current studio in 2018 in Reynoldsburg.”
This family-owned dance studio has “won numerous regional and national awards including overall winners, choreography and technique accolades. Their academy has competed in the Youth American
Grand Prix Finals at the Lincoln Center in New York City and also the World Ballet Art
Competition Finals in Niagara Falls, Canada.”
ML Dance is touted as “Reynoldsburg’s most accomplished dance academy.”
The couple’s nine-year-old son, also named Joseph, is one of the best in the world for his age.
Adult Irish Dance Classes
If any adults want to try, check out the Irwin Academy. There are beginning classes on Monday nights, and no experience is necessary!
You can see all of the Irish dancers at the Dublin Irish Festival in early August (www.dublinirishfestival.org). Each dance school has a couple of performances that weekend.
