Whoever said men can't dance has never met Dan Mostyn.

Mostyn, an Irish dancer and College of Engineering sophomore, passed up an opportunity to tour with Irish dance company Riverdance in order to attend Marquette.

"I had to think about what was most important — my education," he said.

Mostyn, a Chicago native, said he started Irish dancing in third grade after his younger sister April had been taking lessons for about a year at the Mullane Irish Dance Academy in Chicago.

"I was really jealous she was getting all the attention," he said. "I thought, 'Hey — I can do that too!'"

Once he started taking lessons, Mostyn said he enjoyed the challenge dancing presented. After two or three years, his teachers told him he was talented enough to compete.

"It's the best feeling in the world to have people wowed by what you do," he said. "I enjoy giving people that experience."

Mike Mullane, one of Mostyn's instructors and co-owner of the dance academy, attributed Mostyn's success to his hard work and dedication.

"Dan was never a naturally gifted dancer," he said. "He worked really hard to get the techniques down. He put in more practice time than anyone in the studio."

Mostyn's effort paid off — he qualified for the World Championships three times and competed twice. He didn't compete his junior year because of a foot injury.

Mostyn said the last time he competed at Worlds was senior year, when he ranked 11th out of 23 men in his age group.

According to Mullane, this is no small accomplishment.

"Less than 1 percent of people ever make it to the World Championships," he said. "It's sort of like the Olympics."

Although Mostyn was successful and well-known at the academy, he didn't tell many of his peers about his dancing because of the negative feedback he received from the ones who ultimately found out.

"I guess you could say I was a 'closet dancer,'" he said.

Mostyn said he finally "came out" junior year when he performed at a school cultural festival.

"Once I got out there to do my solo, the crowd started cheering really loud," he said.

Mostyn said it was then he realized that his passion for dance was really accepted by his peers.

"People kept coming up to me afterwards and telling me, 'Great job,'" he said. "They all called me 'Lord of the Dance' for a while."

Since coming to Marquette, Mostyn said he hasn't actively danced because of his course load and other activities, which include Habitat for Humanity, University Ministry and coaching intramural sports. He is also a resident assistant in Straz Tower.

Fellow RA and College of Arts & Sciences sophomore Peter Burke said he hasn't actually seen Mostyn dance but thinks "it's awesome."

"I thought Irish dancing was kind of weird in middle school, but then I saw Riverdance and knew it was legit," Burke said.

While on campus, Mostyn said he has performed at Straz Tower's weekly talent show, "Straz on Stage." He also returns home to Chicago ever so often to help teach at the academy.

Molly Mostyn, Dan's 15-year-old sister who also dances, said he has always helped her out with her steps. She said he has most recently been working with her to prepare for a regional competition over Thanksgiving.

"He acts like an instructor, but he's not that strict," she said. "He's really encouraging and nice."

Mullane said Mostyn is a great teacher and would hire him "in a second."

According to Mullane, being able to physically do the steps isn't enough. Teachers need to have "the wherewithal to teach."

"He's got a great personality for teaching," Mullane said. "You can see in Dan what you want little kids to imitate."

In this respect, Mostyn said he does want to "stay in the scene" and may want to teach on a larger scale someday.

"Those who Irish dance know — you don't really ever give it up," he said.

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 29, 2005.