Irish dancers to show off their flying feet on St. Paddy's
By Faith Mayer Journal Correspondent

Lisa Berman of Townsend, Loretta Donelan of Peterborough, N.H., Mary-Sarah O'Hanlon of Ashby, Martin Bradshaw of Brookline, N.H., Doris Donelan of Peterborough, N.H., Tatiana O'Hanlon of Ashby, and Emily Messer of Mason, N.H. perform.

Do you wanna dance a jig? The Flying Irish Dancers would like to show you how and then give you the opportunity to tour the area kicking up your heels.

Ten years ago, Mary-Sarah O'Hanlon founded the Flying Irish Dancers, a local troupe that does so much more than perform. They allow you to tap into your inner dancer.

"This started as an Irish dance school, but rather than focus on only competition, Mary-Sarah decided to focus on teaching the dance itself. She feels the performance itself is more important than being competitive," explained public relations director Jenny Donelan. "To that end, we have more dancers than we have competitors. We have approximately 45 dancers and only 12 or so compete.

"This is March madness," Donelan continued. "We do about 25 shows a year over half of which are in March in honor of Saint Patrick's Day."

Loretta Donelan (left) of Peterborough, N.H. and Lisa Berman of Townsend, perform a hardshoe dance at the Children's Literature Festival in Keene, N.H., last fall.

The Irish Dancers come from all walks of life and range in age from 6 years old to adult. Donelan and her daughters, Doris and Loretta, are all dancers.

"I got involved because my daughters were. As an adult, you need to leave your self-consciousness at the door. It's a challenge because everyone thinks of Irish dancers as young and lithe and, well, we're not. It is lots of fun, great exercise, and I get to work my brain as all of the steps are done in patterns," she said.

When Donelan first brought her oldest daughter, Loretta, to dance class it was to help her to learn her right from her left among other things. Little did she know she would soon be a member too.

"Children certainly expand your horizons," she quipped.

The choreography for the Flying Irish ranges from the traditional to the more modern. A beginner jig is likely to be performed along with a dance called Home from the Cottage or the St. Patrick's Dance, a dance that is over 100 years old. O'Hanlon also incorporates her own style of modern dance.

One such dance is performed to the Addam's Family theme music and involves lots of finger snapping.

"These types of modern dance incorporate the arms, which is uncommon in Irish dance," Donelan noted.

The Flying Irish also perform the big numbers similar to River Dance or Lord of the Dance.

"You don't need any special equipment or skills initially," Donelan said. "Eventually you will need a pair of dance shoes and an Irish dance dress, but not right away."

She said children and adults alike should plan to commit a minimum of a half hour a day if they want to improve.

"An adult would be fine to just turn up the day of the class. They can use this as a social outlet, for exercise or they can chose to do more. But if improving is your goal, practice is necessary," Donelan said.

O'Hanlon is a former champion Irish dancer and is currently offering Irish Gaelic classes taught by a native speaker. One third of the performance team members are now learning Gaelic.

For more information on the Flying Irish Dancers visit www.flyingirish.com. You can dance whether you are Irish or not.

In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, the Flying Irish have traveled to the Indian Head Resort in Lincoln, N.H. where were they will be performing a series of shows between March 12-18, the culmination being the St. Patrick's Day parade in Manchester. Locally, they perform in nursing homes and at various stage events. Their next local performance is scheduled for April 28 at the Ashby 240th anniversary variety show held at the Ashby Elementary School. Time is yet to be announced.