Arts & Entertainment

Shovlin Dancers Place Ninth at World Championship

Dancers from Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance competed March 29 in the 2013 World Irish Dance Championship.

Dancers from Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance took their talents from a studio in Dormont Municipal Center to the world stage last weekend.

The troupe performed at the 2013 World Irish Dance Championship in Boston, and placed ninth out of 13 groups.

Instructor Sheila Shovlin created and choreographed the narrative drama the troupe performed—a unique performance, considering that many competitors at the Championship perform solo, rather than in a group.

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Shovlin's sister, instructor Liz Shovlin Grinko, said considering the level of competition the troupe was up against, ninth place is not bad at all.

"They were very happy with that," she said. "We were competing with dancers from higher brackets who were there for solos as well, so you had that caliber of dancer in other groups. They felt very good and very glad to finish where they were. They danced really well. Really, really well."

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The dancers, ranging in age from 10 to 18, are mainly from the South Hills area, including Dormont and Brookline, as well as Mt. Lebanon, Baldwin, Upper St. Clair, Scott Township, Peters Township and Bethel Park. Others in the company are from Forest Hills, Shadyside, and Steubenville, Ohio.

Before the troupe left for Boston last Thursday, Grinko said her biggest concern was just getting everyone safely to the competition on time. Fortunately, the trip went smoothly, she said, and there were just a few butterflies before the dance.

"[The dancers] need to be proud of the fact that this was the world stage and things are judged pretty intensely," she said. "They handled themselves really well."

Grinko said the troupe is now focused on the upcoming regional competion in November. There are local competitions in the meantime, but the Shovlin dancers have their sights set high.

"I think we'll be there again at some point," she said. "Right now, November is our next big one. That's a regional competition, so we're focused on that."

The following students competed as a group in the 2013 World Irish Dance Championship: Caroline Byrne; Morgan Collavo; Megan Hixon; Delaney McMahon; Reilly O’Connor; Kayleigh O’Hara; Lauren Shovlin; Marley Shovlin; Shea Shovlin; Maggie Smith; Stephanie Stoessel; Brogan Victor; Teresa Grinko.


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