DANCER Esther Smith is looking forward to competing in her second Irish Dance World Championships, this time in Chicago in March.
The A Level student at Haslingden Sixth Form has been Irish Dancing for 11 years and, after placing fourth in the North West Regional Championships last year, she went on to compete in the World Championship in Dublin this March.
At this year’s North West Championships on November 30 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham, she was third, which meant she earned a place at the World Championships in Chicago, Illinois.
“I had to dance three rounds and in the first one we wear heavy shoes with a block that enable you to dance en pointe. For the second dance, we wear lighter shoes and move across the floor a lot more.”
There are two dancers on the floor for the first two dances, and although they dance to the same music, they present different routines and have to be careful not to collide, something Esther said happened to others but fortunately not to her.
“On the last dance, ‘Kilkenny Races’, it is back to the heavy shoes and I was on stage on my own, which is a little bit scary, but I prefer it because I like having the floor to myself. In March, it was my first ever time at the World Championships and it felt a bit daunting, but I got more confident in what I can actually achieve and I made friends, which was the best part of it.”
She has launched an online fundraising page to help towards the costs of attending the competition.
Esther said: “I was fourth in the North West last year and I was third this year. Last year I was 60th out of 150 dancers in the World Championships so I am hoping to do even better in March.”
She is in her final year of A Levels and is studying Sociology, Law, and Geography, and in between studies, she dances at Ward-Mallinson Dance in Manchester three nights a week for eight hours, along with many more hours practising at home.
If you can support Esther, please visit https://gofund.me/4e5a6c1b9