Hi everyone! I’m Shelly Hathaway. I’m a Preliminary Championship Irish dancer from The Shelley School of Irish Dance in Cedar Hills, Utah. I’ve been dancing for a little over six years now.

I always wanted to be a dancer, but all the styles of dance I discovered weren’t quite what I was looking for. Then one day I was watching PBS and Riverdance came on. I was entranced! The style of dance was amazing. A little while later I found the nearest TCRG certified school in Utah and began learning the basics at the Shelley School. I was 20 at the time so I spend the next few years training with the adult class.

I’m of the opinion you’re never too young to start anything so I wasn’t discouraged from starting so late in life. I practiced constantly over the next few years, so excited to get to the next level. Every time Tina Shelley taught us new steps it was like like unwrapping a chocolate bar. I loved every step and would watch the Championship dancers with stars in my eyes.

Finally after 3 years of dancing, I reached Preliminary Championship level. For about two years I trained and perfected steps as best I could. I won 6th or even 4th place a few times at the Utah and Boise Feis and was happy to have placed. As I began my 3rd year in Prelim however, I realized if I ever wanted to learn the more advanced steps taught only in Open championship, I would have to find a way to really stand out at a feis.

In order compete in Open, as many of you know, I have to win 1st place at two feiseanna. So last January I made a goal to get into Open THIS YEAR. Since then I’ve gone to 8 Feiseanna in six months. It’s been a lot of fun traveling from city to city and seeing a lot of the same faces along the way. In April of this year I finally won my very first, 1st place in Preliminary Championship at Feile Denver. It was a very unreal experience and I couldn’t believe I’d half-way reached my goal!

Since then I’ve won 2nd place and 3rd place twice, not to mention a 7th and a 4th or two. But I am working hard to perfect my dances so I can get that second 1st place this year and begin training in Open championship. This September I will have two more chances at Longs Peak Feis in Colorado, and Boise Feis by the River. Wish me luck! I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Related posts:

1. 1st Place at Longs Peak Feis! I’m Officially in Open Championships!
2. Feile Denver 2010
3. Perpetual Trophies
4. Championship Irish Dancers In ‘Christmas Around The World’
5. New Dances For Oireachtas Means Twice As Much Practice