TALENTED young dancers Maddie Ford and Emily Neale have won the chance to compete in a major festival in Ireland.
The girls are members of the Knutsford class of the Fraser School of Irish Dance, which is run by Catherine Fraser and trains every Tuesday evening at Knutsford Tennis Club.
Maddie and Emily took part in a national Irish dancing Ceili competition at the All Britain Fleadh in Kirby Lonsdale in Cumbria.
Thanks to their outstanding performance they qualified for the Fleadh Cheoil All Ireland Finals in Drogheda in Ireland next month.
Catherine, from Marthall, said: “Fleadh Cheoil translates as ‘Feast of Music’, and is an annual festival celebrating traditional Irish music, singing, dancing and storytelling.
“The Fleadh Cheoil is the biggest festival of its type in Ireland, and for 10 days up to half a million people gather in the town to celebrate traditional Irish music and dance.”
Maddie and Emily were among eight dance school members to qualify for the finals in Ireland, the others being from Catherine’s classes in Macclesfield and Crewe.
From left, Maddie Ford and Emily Neale from Knutsford, Ciara Clarke, Maria Grigoriew
Catherine has been Irish dancing her whole life, competing at the world championships as a solo dancer and as part of a Ceili team.
When she finished competitive dancing she started teaching, and in 1994 set up the Fraser School of Irish Dance in Crewe.
She said: “I have been a competitive and recreational Irish dancer all my life.
“Coming from an Irish family, it all started when my dad took me along to an Irish dance class in Crewe when I was aged seven.
“I learned and picked it up really quickly and I absolutely loved it and still do.”
Catherine teaches dancers of all ages from four years of age to adult, and has classes for everyone from complete novices up to competition standard.
As well as classes the dance school attends numerous shows, fetes, weddings and workshops.
It recently danced at Nantwich Concert Band's Midsummer Show at Nantwich Civic Hall, ending the evening dancing to the band's performance of ‘Lord of The Dance’.
The dancers also performed live on BBC's Children in Need broadcast in November, and took part in the Guinness world-record longest river dance line along the banks of the River Liffey in Dublin.
For more details about the dance school call 07973 428081 or email fraseririshdance@gmail.com
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