Southbury Dancers Place at Regional Irish Dance Championships

November 27, 2016

Pictured are Ashurst Academy Irish Dancers who placed in the U12 and U13 Traditional Set Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. From left are Katie Sheehan of Southbury, Genevieve Mallon of Southbury, Tess Brantl of Newtown and Acadia Petersen of Newtown. Ashurst Academy dancers clockwise from top left: Acadia Petersen, Olivia Lanza, Katie Sheehan, Caroline Pickett, teacher and co-director Christina Dolzall-Ashurst, Colleen Mallon, Sophia Mahoney, Deirdre Smith and Britta Petersen.

Each November, the New England Regional Irish Dance Championships, also known as the “Oireachtas” brings top level dancers from Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island together to compete in solo championships, traditional sets and teams. It is the most prestigious event in the region and also where championship level dancers qualify for the North American Irish Dance Championships and World Championships.

Local dancing school, the Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance, which holds classes in Newtown, Danbury and Southbury, was proud to send over a dozen dancers to this year’s event held in Providence, Rhode Island. The academy’s co-directors, Craig and Christina Ashurst, were both championship dancers themselves having won regional, national and international titles before becoming certified teachers and touring the world as leads in Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.

The dancing school was proud of come home with 15 medals in various events this year including 4 podium placements in the traditional set competitions, 9 top ten placements in traditional set and team competitions and an overall championship medalist. Their championship dancers are now preparing to compete in the North American National Championships in New Orleans this July.

Of the medalists were Southbury locals Colleen Mallon who made the podium in the U10 traditional set competition and placed top ten in the U10 girls 4-hand team competition, Genevieve Mallon who placed in the U13 traditional set, Sarah Mallon who medaled in the Slip Jig round of the 20&Over championship competition, Sophia Mahoney who placed top ten in the girls U10 4-hand team competition and Katie Sheehan who placed in the U12 traditional set competition and top ten in the girls U12 4-hand team competition.

The Ashurst Academy, which opened in June, has new beginner classes forming in its Newtown and Southbury locations to begin in February. Information on the academy can be found at www.ashurstirishdance.com, www.facebook.com/ashurstirishdance or by calling 203-928-0689.