Sunbury dancers Ciana O’Neill and Alexandra Heming need a bit more than luck to get them to the world Irish dancing championships in Dublin later this year. The teenage toe-tappers are among just six Irish dancers from Victoria selected to compete at the April event.
A shot at the world champs has been eight years in the making for 14-year-old Alexandra.
Her teammate Ciana, 13, moved from Queensland five years ago and joined Mayne Irish Dancing in Sunbury – a small school of just 35 students.
Their teacher, Charmayne Dulley, says competing for Australia is a “big deal” for the girls and their dance school.
“The qualification process involves them dancing at the highest level,” Ms Dulley says. “They had to qualify in the top 10 dancers in Australia, and they did.
“Both of the girls committed themselves to practising more than 15 hours a week over a very hot Christmas summer break, and we’re so proud of them.”
Ms Dulley says that Irish dancers are self-funded because they don’t qualify for arts or sports sponsorships, so the school needs to help the girls raise $5000 each to cover their costs.
The school’s fundraiser will be a family day event at Jack McKenzie Bulla community centre on March 5. Details: bit.ly/2ltlG8f
