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Arts & Entertainment

Local Irish Dancers Prepare for International Competition

Eleven students from the Lavin Cassidy School of Irish Dancing are Ireland-bound this February.

For nearly 20 years, the school has sent qualifying students to compete in the All-Ireland, a prestigious dance competition drawing Irish dance schools from around the world. The 2012 All-Ireland Competition will be held in Dublin during the week of Feb 11; and the kids from Lavin Cassidy are getting ready to kick up their heels.

“We just finished our regional championships and came home with four titles,” said Laura Stack Finn, an instructor at Lavin Cassidy. “Our students worked really hard to get to this point.”

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Lavin Cassidy students will take part in the group competition—Girls Under 11 Ceili—as well as four solo dance routines. A total of eleven students qualified to compete in the All-Ireland.

Established by Palos area resident Ann Lavin-Cassidy, the school offers Irish dance instruction at all skill levels—from beginner to championship—for both solo to team dancing. The main facility is located in Worth, with additional classes held at Gaelic Park in Oak Forest.

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All Lavin Cassidy instructors have a long history with Irish dance and have competed successfully at National and World Championship levels. Some were even former students of Lavin-Cassidy.

Palos Heights resident Alyssa Hoban, 10, has been a Lavin Cassidy student for the past five years. She’s part of a ceili, or team, of eight girls set to compete in the All-Ireland.

“I practice with my team at home as well as spend extra time in the studio. I’m a little nervous for the competition, because I know a lot of good teams will be there. We just have to try really hard to do well,” said Hoban.

Hoban has another reason to look forward for competition as it gives her the opportunity to travel to Ireland for the first time. She plans to make the trip with parents, siblings and grandparents.

Tighe Spillane, 10, of Oak Lawn, is the lone boy representing Lavin Cassidy in the All Ireland. He’s diligently practicing his horn pipe, reel and other routines, in hopes that a good performance in the competition will lead him to bigger and better things as an Irish dancer.

“I want to be as good as Michael Flatley,” Spillane said.

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