CURADH
YourWIDAand Meetourresident
CRDMWorlds feismammy!
Submissions
TheAineHay
Academy’snon-stop
journeytothetop!
CelineZimmermann
WORLDCHAMPION
It’sbeenacrazyfewweeksfortheCuradhCrew,butwe’re
excitedtofinallybebringingyouoursecondeverissue,
packedfullwithsubmissionsfrom dancersandteachersacross
avarietyofdifferentopenplatform organisations!
3-5AninterviewwithCelineZimmermann
6WIDAWorlds
7-9YourWIDAandCRDMWorldsSubmissions
10-11TheAineHayAcademy’snon-stopjourneytothetop!
12MeetourFeisMammy
celinezimmerman
WIDAWORLDCHAMPION
Asfarasreactionsgo,wethinknewlycrownedWIDA
WorldChampionCelineshowedjusthowmanyemotions
arefloodingadancer’sbodyastheyheartheother
person’snumbercalledinsecondplace.Itreallyisan
honourtohavebeenabletocapturethemomentthatour
covergirlrealisedallofherdreamshadcometrue,and
moreimportantly,thatallofherhardworkhadfinally
paidoff!WeweredelightedtoaskCelinetosharesome
wordsofwisdom withourCuradhreaders.
Howdiditfeeltohearyournamecalledasthe2019WorldChampion?
Havingmynamecalledoutasthe2019u23worldchampionwasliterallymylife
goalcomingtrue!Itwasthemomentthatprovedthatanydream cancometrue
ifyouarejustwillingtoworkashardasyoucaninordertoreachit.
HowdidyoutraininpreparationfortheWorlds?
IhavebeenIrishdancingfor17yearsandhavefoundmyselfbeingstuckabitthe
lastfewyearsintermsofsmallthings,suchaspostureandnotbeing100%fit,that
somehowseemedtohindermefrom reachingthetop.AsIam gettingolder(I
startedwhenIwas5)Iwantedtofocusexactlyonthosesmallbutveryessential
thingsthisyearanddecidedtodotheReachingNewHeightsJuniorAcademyby
LaurenEarly.ItwasthebestdecisionIevermade,especially
thelast12weeksbeforeworlds.Theywereprettyintenseas
itincluded6trainingsessionseachweek(2strengthening
sessions,2conditioningsessions,2-3danceclassesaweekas
wellasstretchingeveryday)Itwasveryhardtoincludein
dailylifewhichIrealizedespeciallywhencominghome
from alongdayatwork,startingtoworkoutat11pm at
night-butIjusthadoneultimategoalthatIwantedto
reachsomeday.Iwantedtoimprovethoselastbitsandof
coursemydream wastowintheworldsoneday!
Itwasdefinitelynotaneasyjourneyandnoteveryone
understoodmyextremedeterminationatthispointasitmeantnotgoingoutmuch
withfriends,tonightclubsetc.andalsoplanningeverythingaroundmytraining
schedule.Itmighthavebeenabitegoisticatsomepointsbut
Ijustwantedtobecomethebestversionofmyselfthisyear
andwantedtogiveitallIhad.Itissuchagreatfeelingto
nowbeabletosaythatallofthispaidoffandIhavefinally
reachedwhatIhadonlydreamedofbefore!
Youwereverysuccessfulatworlds,buthaveyouever
hadadisappointingresultandhowdidyoudealwithit?
Iusuallydonotfocusonresultswhendoingcompetitions.I
usuallyjustwanttodoeverythingpossiblesoIcansaythatI
havegiveneverythingtodancemybestonthedayofthe
competition.Ofcoursetherehasprobablybeenasituation
whereIwashopingforabetterplacementespeciallyifyouknowthatyouhave
donebetterbefore,butyoualwayshavetoconsiderthatthereisalotinvolvedin
acompetitionwhichcanchangeeachday.Everyonecanhaveabadoragood
day,bemoreorlesstired,notfeelwelletc.Themostimportantthingisjustthat
youneverevertakearesultasathingthatbringsyoudownbutinsteadtakeitas
amotivationtodoitbetterthenexttimebypracticingashardasyoucan.
WhatareyourplansnowthatyouareaWorldChampion?
Ihavealwayssaidthat“if”IeverwontheworldsIwouldliketotryoutsomemore
openplatform organizations-Ijustlovetheideaofopenplatform andthinkit
mightbeacoolthingtoexperienceanewenvironment.Somepeoplemightretire
afterwinningworldsbuteveryonewhoknowsmealsoknowsthatIjustcouldn’t
livewithoutIrishdancing,soretiringisdefinitelynooptionformeatthemoment-
Ijustloveitwaytoomuch!
Whoinspiresyou?
Iwouldn’tsaythatthereisaspecificpersonwhoinspiresme
-thefactthatIhaverealizedthisyearthathardworkand
absolutedeterminationcanmakealifelongdream come
trueisinmyopinioninspiringenough.Thisdoesnotmean
thatIinspiremyselfbutthat“holdingontoadream and
tryingeverythingtomakeitcometrue”issomethingpeople
shouldkeepinmindandbeinspiredby.Iam inspiredby
thosewhoreallystronglybelieveinthemselves,Ihave
alwaysbeenverynervouswhenitcomestobigcompetitions
andwashappythatIhadfamilyandfriendswhoIhad
behindmybackbelievinginmeandtellingmeIshoulddosoaswell-thankyou
toeveryonewhobelievedinme-Icouldn’thavedoneitwithoutyou!
WhatadvicecanyougivetodancershopingtowintheWorldsnextyear?
Ifyouwanttowintheworldsyouneedtoput
110%effortin!Noexcuses!Itwon’tworkifyou
areonlytrainingonceinawhile,livean
unhealthylifestyleandhopeforthebestwhen
theactualcompetitioncomes.Youreallyneed
tofocusondancingandtheneccessarytraining
andbuildeverythingaroundit.Yesit’shard,
yesitdoesseem impossibleattimes-butitis
possibleandspeakingfrom myexperienceit
hasworkedoutformeandmadealongtimegoalanddream cometrue-
becomingaworldchampion!
Doyouknowanopenchampionwhodeservestofeature
onthecoverofCuradhMagazine?Sendamessagetoour
Facebookpagetellinguswhyweshouldconsideryour
nominee,andyoucouldbecelebratingtheirsuccesswith
usinafutureissue!
WIDAworlds
FormanyopenplatformIrishdancers,
theWorldIrishDanceAssociation’sWorld
andInternationalChampionshipeventisthe
highlightoftheyear.Dancersandtheirfamiliestravelfrom
allovertheworldtotakepartinaspectaculardisplayof
dancingacrossfourdays.
UniquetoWIDAisthetraditionalsetchampionship,
wherethefinalgroupofrecalleddancersendup
havingperformedallofthetradsets.Itreallyis
amazingtoseeallthehardworkandeffortthat
goesintoperfectingdancesthathavebeen
passeddownbyteachersthroughouttheyears.
Inadditiontothisspecialchampionship,WIDAreallymustbeapplaudedforthetruly
internationalfeeloftheevent.Thisyearmorethan800dancerstravelledtoEindhoven,
TheNetherlands,fromroughly20differentcountriesaroundtheglobe.Theflagforeach
ofthesecountries,aswellastheadditional17inwhichWIDAispresent,wascarried
acrossthestageinstunningopeningandclosingceremonies.
Notonlythat,WIDAonceagainshowedthattherearesomanyamazingadultdancers
whodeserverecognition,withagegroupsthisyeargoingrightuptounderandover45
years!Theseadultcompetitionswereinspirationaltowatch,andreallyshowedthatitis
nevertolatetochaseafteryourdreams.Ahugewelldonetoallofthecompetitorsatthe
event!
Weareforegoingourusual‘makingachampion’featurethismonthtosharewithyouallof
thelovelycompetitorsatthisyear’s‘WIDAWorlds’whowerenominatedbytheirteachers,
friendsandfamily.
TheCuradhCrewwouldliketocongratulateevery
singlecompetitoronthehugeachievementof
performingontheWorldstage,regardlessofthe
finalresult,andarealreadylookingforwardto
nextyear’sevent!
It’ssuretobeanotherroaringsuccessfilled
withfun,laughter,andlotsmoreinternational
friendshipsbeingformed!
YOURWORLDSSUBMISSIONS
YOURWORLDSSUBMISSIONS
YOURWORLDSSUBMISSIONS
THEAINEHAYACADEMY
ONANON-STOPJOURNEYTOTHETOP
WhentheCuradhCrew attendedtheWIDAFalkirkOpenFeisearlierthis
year,weweremesmerisedbythetalentdisplayedbysomanydancers
allwearingtheirclasscostumes,identifyingthemselvesasmembersof
thehighlysuccessfulAineHayAcademy.
WespoketoteacherAnne-MarieHay,whocouldn’tpraiseherdancers
highlyenough-thededicationtheyhavetodancingshinesthroughin
theirperformances,andAnne-Marie’sdevotiontoherdancersradiates
from her.
Itgoeswithoutsayingthatthisfabulousteacherreallyisoneofthebest
inthebusiness,havingtaughteverysingleoneofherchampionship
leveldancersfrom theveryfirsttimetheysetfootinanIrishdance
class.
Anne-Mariehastakentheseshyandtimidbeginnersandturnedouta
tribeofconfident,self-assureddancers.Notonlythat,butshehasthe
parentsinvolvedtoo!
HavingproducedaBritishOpenChampionship,andbroughtacoveted
WorldsglobebackhometoScotland,theCuradhCrew feelit’sonlyright
thatwerecogniseandcelebratethesuccessofallthedancers,families
andteachersoftheAineHayAcademy!
MeetourFeisMammy!
Hi,I’mClaire!ThisisthefirstcolumnonIrish
Dancingfromaparentspointofview,andI
thoughtIwouldstartbytellinghowwecame
tobeinvolvedinsomethingwhichIthought
wouldbeafunhobbyformydaughterand
hasturnedouttobesuchahugepartofour
lives.
ThestoryactuallystartswhenIwasayoung
girlandRiverdanceburstontothesceneat
theEurovisionSongContest.Itseemedtobe
everywhereafterthatandmyparentsboughtmethevideo(yes,thatlongago!)for
Christmas.Iwatchediteverynightinbedandeventuallypluckedupthecouragetoask
myparentsifIcouldleaveballetandtapanddoIrishdancinginstead.
Theywouldn'tletme.Inourpartoftheworld,sectarianismwasstillprettyrifeandI
wastoldabsolutelynot,weegirlsthatdon'tgotocatholicschoolcannotdoIrish
dancing.Andthatwasthat,childrenlistenedtotheirparentsthenandIhadtocontent
myselfwithwatchingthevideooverandover.
Fastforwardadecade;IhadmyownlittlegirlandboughtherRiverdanceonDVD.I
knewbeforeIpressedplaythatshewouldloveit,andshewasutterlyenchanted,
tryingtocopythemovesandkeptonsaying"Idothat!"SoIstartedonthelookoutfora
classandeventuallyfoundaclassquiteclose,underancomhdhail.
MydaughterCaitlin,inherfirst Herfirstclass,IthinkIwasmorenervousthanshe
everpairofdancingshoes! was.Herteacherdidalotofshoutingandwasreally
loud,althoughadmittedlyisamazingandatthetopof
hisgame.However,Ididworryaboutmytinytoddler
beingshoutedat!Shewasonly3yearsoldandstillin
herfirstyearofnursery,butasitturnedoutthe
studentteachersworkedwiththetinytotsandwere
brilliantwiththem.Irememberreallyvividlythefirst
nightthemumstellingmeaboutgoingtoIrelandfora
dressandpaying£350forit,andIremember
laughingmyheadoffandgoing,"aye,right!"
Famouslastwords!Ifonlydressescostthatnow!
Shewashookedfromtheveryfirstclass,andso,astendstohappen,wegotmore
andmoreinvolved.Firstoneclassaweekforanhour,thentwo,andbeforeyouknow
it,it's3hourclassesandextraclassesandprivateclassesandendlesspracticeand
competitions.Ittakesahugeamountoftimeandcommitmentfrombothchildren
andparentsifyouwanttocompete,andmydaughterdidherfirstfeisat5andended
uponthepodiumfortheveryfirsttime.
After4yearsandforvariousreasons,wedecideditwastimetomoveclassesand
foundoneclosertohome.Hernewclasswasmorerelaxedandthekidshadmore
timetochat.Webothmadesomereallygreatfriendsthere.Shealsostartedteam
dancinganddidherfirstworldchampionships.Shehadalotofgreatexperiences
butteamdancingknockedherconfidencealotwithplacesbeingswitchedfartoo
oftenandeventuallyshejustdidn'twanttodoitanymore.Asaparent,it'sabsolutely
heartbreakingtoseeyourchildlosingherpassionforsomethingsheadoresandI
madethedecisiontotakeherelsewhere,afterbeingthereanother4years.
Afterherfirsttransfer,thelongbanperiodwasthe
mostfrustratingthing.Youdon'trealiseand
certainlyIwasnevertoldthatonceyousignupto
aclass,youcan'tmovetoanotherjustwhenit
suits.Asapayingparent,itseemsridiculousthat
youcan'ttakeyourchildwhereyouwant,whenyou
want!
Delightedwiththeresultat Iwasn'tpreparedtositoutanotherbanforherand
ourfirstopenplatformfeis! therewasnootherschoolthatseemedtobeable
toofferwhatwewerelookingfor,soIlookedtoan
otherorganisationandthat'show,atthestartof
thisyear,weendedupwithNaLaochraandunder
WIDA.
Ihavegenuinelyfoundittobeabreathoffreshairtobeinaclassthatencourages
andpraises,andalsounderstandsthatachildhasalifeoutsideofdanceclass,and
doesn'ttellthepupilstheycan'tgotoaschooldiscoorabirthdaypartyifitmeans
missingaclass.Thestandardofdancingdoesn'tdropjustbecauseachildattendsa
birthdayparty!
WeattendedourfirstWIDAfeis,theFalkirkOpen,recentlyanditwassowell
organised,andreallyenjoyable.MydaughterandIcan’twaitforthenextone!
It'sbeenquiteajourneysofar.I'msolookingforwardtoseeingwhereittakesus
next.
Doyouhaveabusinessyou’dlike
toadvertiseinCuradhMagazine?
Weofferarangeofgreatdealsand
canworkwithyoutoarrangethe
bestoptionforyou.Justdropa
messagetoourFacebookpage
andyoucouldbeseeingyourlogo
herenextmonth!