Dance school delight after major success in world championships

Dancers from the Marie Connell School of Irish Dancing from Dudley were among 2,500 dancers who took to the stage of the SEC Centre in Glasgow to compete in the World Irish Dancing Championships, which was held between March 24 and March 31.

Competitors travelled from around the world to take part, from as far away as Australia, Japan and Argentina, with solo, team and ceili competitions in categories ranging from the under 10s to senior level and a Michael Flatley award for freestyle.

The small team from Dudley performed exceptionally in Glasgow, coming away with two World Globes and five World Medal positions, including 10-year-old Leo Coates who came second in the under 11s category and 15-year-old Aiden Ward, who retained his under 16s world title.

The school owner and trainer Marie Connell said she was delighted and relieved to see her pupils do so well and all the hard work pay off and spoke of how proud of Aiden and Leo she was.

She said: "I'm really relieved and thankful that we did so well as we were able to and I really think that all the hard work paid off.

"For Aiden, that was his fourth time winning the competition and I always feel quite confident in his ability to perform at a high level when it counts, so proud and relieved that he retained his world title.

"Leo was a bit of a surprise because he had done well at the majors, but this was the first time that a lot of Americans travelled over to be part of this, so his age category was a bit of an unknown entity, plus he had been poorly the week before, so it was a surprise, but a nice surprise that he came second in his first Worlds."

Currently operating in Dudley, Ms Connell said the school was also looking to open a new school in Wolverhampton at the Emerald Club.

Ms Connell said the school's success was down to the family feeling that came from it, something she said she fully believed in, as well as just wanting to get the best out of everyone who comes in and spotting the talent people might have to help them get to the next level.

She also said that Irish dancing was a great day to make friends and keep fit and said the worldwide appeal meant you might bump into someone who was part of that community anywhere.

She said: "You do make lifelong friends within the Irish dancing community as you might see them four times a year, which I see with Leo as he's catching up with friends who he's competed against in Ireland and now in Scotland.

"You build this great circle of friends and it's great to see that as, in five or 10 years, they'll still be running around with the same group of friends.

"Added to that, you could travel anywhere in the world and you might find someone who you know from the Irish Dancing world and have somewhere to stay, so I'm very proud of the school and the people in it."

To find out more about the school, go to facebook.com/MarieConnellSchool/