A young Irish dancer in Arborg has hit the heights after a performance a few weeks ago made her eligible to compete at the both the North American and world Irish dance championships.
Nine-year-old Molly Stansell finished in the Top 10 and the Top 5 at the Western Canada Regional Oireachtas competition that was held from Nov. 7-9 in Calgary. Dancers from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. competed for a regional title at the competition. Molly competed against dancers in the U10 (under the age of 10) group.
Molly’s mom, Jenna, said her daughter has loved Irish dancing from a very early age.
“Molly is now able to register for the North American and world competitions. Not anyone can just register: you have to earn a certain placement. She was able to get that placement at the Western Canada Oireachtas competition,” said Stansell. “We were not expecting to get [a placement at] the world championships at all. It’s always been a dream of Molly’s. She always said when she grows up, she wants to be an Irish dancer. It was a pretty emotional weekend. She was on the podium in the Top 5.”
Molly trains at the Brady Academy of Irish Dance in Winnipeg three to four times a week, said Stansell.
Irish dance is a tough performing art that requires dancers to acquire a range of skills and build physical conditioning. Dancers work on stamina, strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and discipline while they learn complex dance steps and routines. They require precision footwork and need a lot of power for the high jumps and kicks the cultural dance is known for, as well as stage presence during performances and competitions.
Stansell said Molly just loves to dance and was proud of her placement. The Top 10 placement qualified her to compete at the North American Irish Dance Championships, which will be held in Orlando, Florida this summer, and the Top 5 placement made her a shoo-in for the 2026 World Irish Dancing Championships – the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne – which will be held this spring near Chicago, in Schaumburg, Ill.
“She wants to keep going,” said Stansell. “She’s excited to see what comes next.”
