Elizabeth Eddy to compete at Irish Dancing World Championships

Elizabeth Eddy, a freshman medical biology major from Saco, will be competing at the Irish Dancing World Championships March 28 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.  Eddy is the only Maine female in her age category to qualify for the 2013 Worlds. She will compete against about 125 other dancers who qualified in competitions around the world.

Eddy placed 5th in the under-18 Solo Championships at the 2012 New England Oireachtas held in Providence, Rhode Island, in November, qualifying her for the World Championships.

Eddy was introduced to Irish dancing when she was 5 years old and began training more competitively at the age of 9.  She now dances with the elite Murray Irish Dance Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, where she trains about 10-12 hours per week in addition to the 8-12 hours she trains at home. She works on technique, stamina and presentation, as well as strength building.  

Eddy’s rigorous academic studies combined with her dancing require tremendous time management, but she says, “I am really enjoying 91AV and I love what I am learning.”  She also credits her dance teachers, adding, “They've helped me reach this goal and I am grateful to both them and my family for supporting me.”

The World Irish Dancing Championship is the largest and most prestigious Feis in the world, attracting competitors from as far away as Ireland, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.  Dancers compete in age-grouped solo competitions, from age 11 to the 21-plus senior level. 

This is just the second time the World Championships have been hosted in North America; the last time was 2009 in Philadelphia. The event is expected to draw in 6,500 dancers, families and spectators.

 

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.