Paige Ann Turilli heading to Dublin Irish Dance World Championship 2011

It was a great pleasure interviewing  Paige Ann Turilli, and her humble father Steven Turilli ( the backbone and dedicated force) behind this true Champion Of Champions. I was lucky enough to be in attendance at the World Championship in Glasgow when Paige Ann won World Champion 2010 and the excitement and the electricity in the hall was phenomenal.

Paige Ann is a very inspirational and wonderful young lady and I consider myself very, very lucky to know her. Of course as a fellow New Yorker we were all very proud of Paige Ann, Julia O'Rourke from the Petri School, NY and all the Americans that took home the gold.  Paige Ann's dedication, discipline, passion and accomplishment of all her Major Championships in 2010 is commendable.

Paige Ann has a great future, she will be one of our Modern Young American Women that exemplifies, her aspirations, ambitions, intellect, social responsibility and Irish heritage.  I look forward to watch what 2011 and the future holds for such a young accomplished competitor/performer.  She is a credit to her parents, teachers, her heritage and to the Art of Irish Dance.

What is your full name? Where did you grow up, how old are you? Where are your parents and grandparents from? What connection do you have with Ireland if any?

Paige Ann Turilli. I am 14 years old.  I have grown up in Pearl River New York. My parents are from Pearl River and my grandparents are from New York City. All of my great grandparents on my mother's side of the family have emigrated from Ireland.  On my father's side, they are from Ireland and Italy.

How did you first get interested in Irish Dancing?

I had a friend in Pre School who told me about Irish Dancing and how much fun it was, so my parents decided to sign me up.

When and where did you start Irish Dancing?

I was 4 years when my parents first went to sign me up but the class was already full.  I finally started in September 2001 at the age of 5.  My first teacher was Sean Reagan and I have been with Inishfree ever since.

What is your own personal and greatest  achievement outside irish dancing?

 Academic award which include maintaining my place on the high honor role throughout my middle school years.

Why and when did you select the school that you represent and dance for?

There were six Irish Dancing schools in my area, but my friend's mom recommended Inishfree. My friends mom said "all of the kids have a good time jumping around on Friday afternoons"

How long did it take you to reach the level of dancing that your in? What were the greatest challenges you faced?

In 2002, I moved up to preliminary championship to compete in my first oireachtas as an under six.  Then in 2003, I earned my two first place wins and moved up into open as under seven.

Was there a big interest in the Irish Dancing classes in the local community?

 Yes, there is a huge interest in Irish Dancing in my community.  At one point, there were six different Irish Dancing schools in my area.

Is there a big 'Irish contingent' in the school that your with or does the interest in Irish Dancing span many cultures?

I never really gave this much thought before … but I think there are probably more dancers that are not 100% Irish than those that are.  I think it is funny when my friend Erin's Cuban father gets all excited about Irish Dancing or when my Italian Grandfather follows my results online.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

In the future, I would like to join nor of the Irish Dancing shows that go on tour.  I would also like to become an anesthesiologist.

How long and hard did you work to make it to World Championships? What was it like when they calculated all the judges results and your name was announced as 2010 World Champion?  How does it feel to accomplish your goals and be the reigning 2010 WORD CHAMPION for your age group?  What is the next step?? Nationals and future Major Competitions?  Where do you see yourself in the future?


Coming up to the Worlds I practiced 5 or 6 days a week for at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours a day.  As the totals were coming up the scores were very close and we thought I had won but we were not positive.  Once my scores and the other girl's scores came up, we saw that I had won by 20 points. It was an unbelievable feeling when they announced my name as the 2010 World Champion.  My goal after the Worlds was to defend my national title, which I am happy to say I achieved.  From here I looked forward to my Oireachtas which I am also happy to say I achieved and now onto the 2011 competitive schedule.

Tell us a little something about your school and your teachers and any advise you would like to give to future Irish Dancers or anyone interested in starting irish dancing.  Please contribute Anything else interesting that would add?

I feel very lucky to be part of the Inishfree School, we have a school theme song "We are Inishfree" set to the music of "We are family" because that is what our school is like, one big family. When we are all together, we always end up singing that song as a group.  I have 2 really great teachers, Sean Reagan and Colleen Quigley-Carey.

As I become more involved in Irish dancing, so did my dad.  Sean would spend time at the end of my classes showing my dad important things that i needed to practice and perfect.  As my Dad got more and more involved he became really good at breaking my steps down and helping me practice.  I feel really fortunate to have my dad who is like a 3rd teacher to me.  Sean and Colleen have a saying that they always remind us of  "TBGA" True Believer, Goal Achiever!  They have always challenged me to set goals for myself and they along with my Dad have have given me the support I needed to achieve my goals.
It makes me feel good when I do well and I make them proud.

From when I first started dancing, Sean told my parents that he thought I had potential and he helped me in every way possible.



Dancers:
Boys 10-11: John Whitehurst, Carey Academy (Not Present)
Girls 10-11: Julia O'Rourke, Petri (Not present)
Boys 11-12: Jack Quinn, Ui She
Girls 11-12: Cyra Taylor, McConomy
Boys 12-13: Eamon Kitching, Conway-Lally
Girls 12-13: Amy Mae Dolan, McConomy
Boys 13-14: Sean Downes, McCutcheon
Girls 13-14: Ann Paige Turilli, Inishfree
Boys 14-15: Drew Lovejoy, McGing

The Inishfree World Party Honoring our 2010 World Champion, ANN PAIGE TURILLI! A Party fit for a Princess!

I also was privileged to an invitation to Paige's World Party at the prestigious Reid Castle.  Teachers traveled from as far away as England and Ireland to celebrate her accomplishments with friends, family, dancers and her teachers.  The famous Cake Boss made her cake and a sculpture of her out of chocolate. The famous musician/DJ Conor McGurk, electrified the Castle with music and kept everyone dancing till the we hours of the morning.

Those Dancin' Feet : Fidget Feet's Irish Aerial Dance Fest in Letterkenny Co. Donegal

Irish company Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre present the only aerial dance production of this year’s Dance Base programme, and their thrilling show promises to sweep you off your feet.

Aerial dance – a blend of dance and circus - has been practiced since the early 1970s but has recently reached an elevated status - in the public's consciousness. It has always been an elevated art form, involving dancing suspended from ropes and harnesses.

Founded in 2000, Fidget Feet also perform outdoor work and recently they presented a show in Edinburgh.

The work featured seven performers, including a live DJ who had “a very important and shamanic role”, and the artists- “a big company in this poor climate” - will consume all the space.

Fidget Feet founder Chantal McCormick says, “If anyone likes dance, using circus and aerial dance just take it one step higher! In dance you only use the ground and there is such a lot of space above you. With aerial we fill that space with dance too. Everyone loves watching aerial dance and circus, and RAW was a treat for the senses”.

"RAW was set in a nightclub, and both background and lighting explore the spectrum of blues and purples. We might assume that dark undertones come from more than just the designer’s palette, but while the dancers don’t spend much time on the floor, audiences might expect to leave the venue feeling less than uplifted. The performers show some darker sides of human nature, but you need the dark with the light – life is all about balance”.

This is certainly true for aerial dance, which requires not only balance but also formidable core and upper-body strength. Fidget Feet’s dancers are trained in dance and circus skills, with Chantal having trained at London School of Contemporary Dance, where she was “always interested in mixing dance with other art forms”, before going to London’s Circus Space to learn trapeze.

“In truth,” she says, “I never wanted to do aerial, I just fell into it. I remember when I was hanging forty meters off a building about to abseil down and thinking “why am I up here? I’m a dancer, I should be on the ground, not up here!”. But then once you start you’re hooked.”

As well as floor-bound dancing, the dancers use ropes and harnesses, and there is even pole dancing. As well as conventional pole dance, the company will also use a Chinese pole, “climbing up the pole and hanging and sliding down”. The Chinese pole originates from the circus and Chantal says it “takes a lot of upper body strength: it’s a boy thing!”

Fidget Feet’s IADF is a unique opportunity to experience the joy of dancing in the air and will include classes for beginners through to advanced aerial dancers, circus aerialists and anyone who wants to keep fit.

The main aim of the Fest is to bring international and national circus teachers to the Fest and offer high quality classes to aerialists, dancers, actors and anyone that might want to give it a go; There are classes to suit all levels of experience.

A Fairies Tail - Tullynally Castle, Sat 27 & Sun 28 of August, 2011

For one magical weekend Fidget Feet Aerial dance Theatre & Westmeath County Council present A Fairies Tail, a series of performances and Children’s Circus Workshops.

Set in the mystical gardens of Tullynally Castle, one mile outside Castlepollard on Edgeworthstown Rd, Co.Westmeath. Performances will take place in August on Sat 27th @ 1pm + 6pm and Sun 28th @ 1pm. Circus Workshops for children on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm (1 hour duration).

A sneak preview of Michael Londra's "Beyond Celtic" - VIDEO

Michael Londra, the lead singer from "Riverdance", launches into his brand new National PBS Concert Special, accompanied by the world's best in Celtic musicians, including the sensational sister duo Sephira, the legendary Frankie Gavin and De Dannan, and phenomenal Celtic dancers. Filmed in the Historic California Theatre, this concert special is truly "Beyond Celtic".

Michael Londra is from the opera capital of Ireland, a small town on the South East coast called Wexford. He decided in the early 90s to follow his heart and started singing professionally. His leap of faith was rewarded when he soon became a leading man in musical theater in Dublin playing many roles. US director and choreographer, Larry Fuller asked Michael to play Bobby Kennedy in the world premier of "JFK" where he was noticed by the producers of Riverdance.

He was offered the role of lead singer in the US National Tour which included performances at Radio City Music Hall and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In March 2000, Michael again was offered the position of lead singer in the new production of Riverdance on Broadway, taking the role from acclaimed Irish singer Brian Kennedy. This was the platform from which Michael's recording and producing career began.

Michael's first album "Celt" was produced by acclaimed producer Steve Skinner who co-produced the Grammy nominated soundtrack of RENT. He has worked as an arranger/co-producer for Bette Midler and Celine Dion and has collaborated many times with Arif Mardin, producer of Norah Jones' acclaimed CD. The album was released in 15 countries worldwide selling particularly well in Korea where it reached No 1 in the World Music Charts.

He appears with Pavarotti, Bocelli, Il Divo, Sarah Brightman and Kathryn Jenkins on the Universal Records Asia 2009 release Arias : Ancora.

His recording of Danny Boy was described by The Irish Emigrant in New York as "One of the best recordings of Danny Boy in history." The Youtube video of this recording has been downloaded by 3 million people as of October 2010. CapitalCeltic.com names Michael as "one of the greatest Irish singers of our time".

He has performed as guest singer Irish supergroups De Dannan and Teada

In 2004 Michael was chosen for the role of Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ Symphony" This production was based on the score of Oscar nominee John Debney and had its spectacular US premiere in Hollywood on September 11, 2005.

Michael's work with partner Jean Clancy on the Celtic Woman project created by Sharon Browne was a turning point in Michael"s career off stage. He has been involved in many productions around the world as an artistic director and producer. This year CELT Productions collaborated with Celtic Entertainments to bring Dance of Desire to China and with Harmony artists to bring Caution:Men at Work touring China also.

He created Radiocelt.com in Chicago in 2003 which is part of the Accuradio network (one of the top ten internet radio stations in the world). In addition, Michael has been very active in yet another role, this time as an ambassador for "Concern Worldwide" www.concernusa.org. Through several cd releases which raised considerable awareness for the charity, and through his high profile visits to Haiti, Michael has helped bring the issue of poverty and hunger to the attention of the public.