What better way to continue the March Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations than with some Irish dance?
On Saturday, March 22, Saoirse — Marquette’s Irish Dance Team — held their annual showcase in Weasler Auditorium. I got the opportunity to watch the hour-long show which featured nine performances by Saoirse, a guest performance from Marquette’s Bhangra Academy and MU’s all-male acapella group The Naturals — who even attempted an Irish dance performance themselves.
The show began with a bit of a twist from typical Irish dance music. The number was called “The Eire(s) Tour,” featuring a melody of songs by Taylor Swift, serving as an ode to her famous “Eras Tour.”
The group sported multi-colored bows in their hair, blue plaid skirts, black tights and black leotards, reminding me of Taylor Swift’s “1989” era, which was fitting, as the first song was “Welcome to New York.”
During the number, the dancers danced to “Anti-Hero,” “Love Story,” “Look What You Made Me Do” and many other Swift songs. My personal favorite was “Look What You Made Me Do,” featuring, sophomore in the College of Engineering, Alannah Justinich, senior in the College of Health Sciences, Callie Johnson and, junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, Brigid Gannon. The girls wore hard shoes, creating a very ominous and serious vibe on stage that grabbed my attention.
Throughout the showcase, many girls wore soft shoes — ghillies — or hard shoes, as they serve different purposes. Soft shoes are usually associated with more elegant dances, while hard shoes are for more rhythmic movement, creating louder sounds that heavily align with the beat.
After the opening number, the upperclassmen of Saoirse performed to a Michael Jackson classic, “Smooth Criminal.”
The dancers wore silver sparkling hats with one sparkling glove, and besides a few troubles with getting the hats to stay on their hands, under the lights, they truly shined. Alongside many classic Irish dance moves, they also moonwalked on/off stage, in true MJ fashion.
After dancing to pop music, they switched to more traditional Irish music, performing the Slip Jig — one of the four most common Irish stepdances. The number featured graduate student in the College of Engineering, Veronica Bevan, senior in the College of Health Sciences, Emma Courtney, Johnson, Justinich, sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, Molly Reardon and, sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, Allison Shannon, all wearing soft shoes.
In this number, the use of soft shoes shined. The dance felt extremely elegant, with smaller groups flowing on and off stage. The entire number felt very peaceful, which was a nice change of pace from the faster dances before this.
The following number, “Reel Step About,” featured the entire team. They formed a U-shape around the stage, and each dancer had a shining solo moment. It was wonderful to see each dancer show off their skills, allowing them to be highlighted for all the hard work that goes into a showcase like this.
Nevertheless, one dancer specifically stood out: sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, Elise Weske.
Weske, arguably the star of Marquette’s Irish dance team, is currently placed 16th in the world for Irish dance. This April, she will be competing in the 2025 World Irish Dance Championships in Dublin, Ireland, with high hopes of medaling.
After this full-team number the Mid-America Oireachtas Champions of the 4-hand reel took the stage, featuring Johnson, Justinich, sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, Kyla Lewna, and Reardon. The Mid-America Oireachtas is a regional Irish dance competition used to qualify for national and world championships — and Marquette’s 4-hand reel placed first in their category.
This number exemplified teamwork, and the four made a great team. As an audience member, I could tell that their dancing improved each other, and it enhanced their number.
It was time for Saoirse to throw the music away for a number. Courtney, Gannon, Johnson, Lewna, first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences, Emily Madden, first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences, Lauren McManus, Reardon and, first-year in the College of Health Sciences, Abbie Smith, danced to no music, hence the dance’s title of “Acappella.”
The team utilized a mix of hard and soft shoes, and it was the responsibility of the hard shoes to keep the counts and beat going. Performing without music requires extreme accuracy and precision, and these girls did not disappoint. This was by far my favorite number, mainly because of the skill it takes to execute a performance like this.
Then, for a bit of entertainment, The Naturals attempted the Irish jig. Not only was it incredibly entertaining to observe this all-male acapella group try to dance, but I also admired their ability to perform on stage something they had just learned.
When I heard “Dancing Queen” by ABBA over those speakers, I knew I was in for a good time.
The first-years of Saoirse took on this classic song with energy. They wore blue and gold scarves around their waist with blue lighting on the stage, and the “Mamma Mia” vibes were rampant. All these ladies were genuinely dancing queens on stage, making me want to get up and dance with them.
Last but certainly not least, the Saoirse dance team gave us one final number that went out with a bang.
They danced to “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” from “Hamilton,” and the audience was electric. The use of hard shoes stood out to me the most in this one, as they were highlighted in parts of the song, including Mulligan’s Rap.
All around, Saoirse put on a fantastic showcase. The audience was heavily engaged the entire time, finding different moments to clap along and provide many hoots and hollers for the dancers.
Learn more about Marquette’s Irish dance team and upcoming performances on their website.
This article was written by MaryKate Stepchuk. She can be reached at marykate.stepchuk@marquette.edu.
