Hard work doesn’t come easy for anyone, and for 17 year old Mackenzie Hall and 13 year old Fiona Jagelewski, three and a half years of mastering the art of Irish dance has been a labour of love.

The girls started dancing in September 2012 when Mary Foley added Saugeen Shores to her already-busy schedule for Celtic Academy Canada.

Her first class consisted of nine dancers practicing once a week. Saugeen Shores quickly embraced Irish dance and the Academy hasn’t looked back.

Hall and Jagelewski were part of the inaugural class and continue to progress. They compete in the Eastern Canada region against dancers who typically started dancing when they were 3 or 4 years old and have both advanced to one level below solo world qualifiers.

“Four years ago, I never dreamed where Irish dance could take me,” said Hall. “The level of endurance it takes to complete a dance takes determination and a lot of practice.”

Irish dance is one of the most intricate dances in the world, and became popular when Riverdance became known on an international stage more than two decades ago.

Hall and Jagelewski were recently accepted into The Irish Dance Festival in Carlington County Louth, Ireland, an intense and high calibre festival, created by former Riverdance leads Paula Goulding and Shane McAvinchey.

“They applied late January and we were waiting because it’s competitive. People apply all over the world to get in,” said Mary Foley, Celtic Academy Owner and Director, adding “they select the best of the best.”

“I was actually really surprised because there's people all over the world that go,” said Fiona Jagelewski.

The girls will spend a week this August and join other Irish dance enthusiasts of all ages, from all over the world, learning from some of the world’s best dancers and connecting with fellow lovers of Irish dance.

Jagelewski said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to be dancing with other dancers from all over the world, I can’t wait to get started.”

To ready themselves, the girls are looking for performance opportunities. To book the girls for an event, email celticacademycanada@gmail.com or call 1-855-7CELTIC.