Irish dancers are a staple of many St. Patrick's Day celebrations across southeastern Wisconsin, and the Trinity Irish Dancers have been preparing for hundreds performances at local churches, schools and bars for months.
For some, performance is all they've ever known, starting at age 3 all the way through high school. The extra-curricular activity leaves little free time from November through April, as their lives are consumed by the art.
“It's crazy around this time of year, but it’s still just as fun as it would ever be,” said dancer Ashleigh Walesa.
For 12-year-old Ciara Pliskie, it's harder than any other sport she's played.
“I feel tired, but I know that I can just keep building up my energy,” she said.
“It’s very intense on the legs,” said team captain Abby Frederick.
Frederick said the biggest challenge of an Irish dancer might just be dedication. Their days often start before dawn to get ready for show after show.
"This St. Patrick’s Season I think we’ll do over 300 shows in the Milwaukee area," she said.
Thousands of hours on stage has led to a lot of success. Walesa and Pliskie are part of Trinity's team headed to the youth world championships in Dublin, Ireland.
"I was super happy because the world championships is such an honor to just go there," Walesa said.
It's a journey that sometimes comes with stress and pain, but also life lessons.
"Definitely time management because it gets crazy around this schedule and then I have to manage it with everything else I’m doing in my life," Walesa said.
The Trinity Irish Dancers are after their 18th world championship. A team of 18 leaves for Dublin in three weeks.
