St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner and the Trinity Irish Dance team is kicking off performances at schools around Chicagoland. WBBM visited St. Alphonsus Academy in Lakeview where the team performed for students — whom many of the dancers call classmates.
“It felt great! I got to know that my classmates wanted to see me dance and they wanted to see the grace of Irish dance,” said fifth grade dancer Corinne Gunville.
Hundreds of classmates cheered on Gunville as her team performed traditional Irish dances. For nearly 40 years, this local dancing institution has become the most widely recognized Irish dance program in the world. Now, Gunville will perform on the biggest stage: The World Irish Dance Championship in Glasgow.
“I feel great that I get to go to Worlds and that I’ve qualified because it’s a huge accomplishment,” said Gunville.
The young dancer says it's her biggest dream to perform in Glasgow.
At the end of the group’s performance at St. Alphonsus Academy, they taught students how to do traditional Irish dances. Students across the auditorium were eager to join and excitedly learned how to become dancers themselves.
The local dance academy has taught over 10,000 students, the organization says it’s centered around building confidence and teamwork. The Trinity Irish Dance team plans to perform around Chicagoland ahead of St. Patrick's Day. For more information visit their website here.