The jig is up: Local Irish dancers step to Sacramento

The girls of The Blanchette School of Irish dance are so happy to be going to the feis they're putting on their dancing shoes - hard, leather shoes that read "Super-flexi" on the soles but seem about as supple as brand-new football cleats.

Wearing pig-tails and purple shirts, a trio of dancers line up and instantaneously turn the cold second-floor studio of the Pinkerton Dance Academy into a blazing cacophony of thunderous, masterful footwork.

Unlike a Hawaiian hula where spectators are told the majesty of the dance lies in the subtle movement of the hands, Irish dance is all about the feet.

"Irish dance technique is not easy to master," agrees instructor and dancer Miriam Blanchette, who established the Carson City school in 1999 and also teaches in Reno and South Lake Tahoe. As the first certified TCRG (teaching certificate rince gaelacha) Irish dance instructor in Northern Nevada, Blanchette has been a local leader in the field of Irish dance and is now taking things to the next level: This weekend 12 of her students will be competing at the John Kennelly Memorial Feis in Sacramento, Calif. against 20-25 different schools.

"It's the first time we've gone to an out-of-state competition," she says.

Blanchette, whose mother is from Limerick, Ireland, has been dancing since she was 5 years old.

She now teaches about 45 students from around the area, ages 5 to adult, she says.

While conceding that many people's exposure to the demanding art of Irish dance has been limited to "Lord of the Dance" diva Michael Flatley, Blanchette says such shows have done wonders to put the art form on the national stage.

Judging for Irish dance contests is based on the dancer's ability in timing, carriage, construction of steps and execution, according to Blanchette, herself a three-time veteran of the Irish dance world championships.

Sisters Veronica Avitia, 12, and Marisela Avitia, 13, are excited about the competition. Both plan to continue their Irish dance careers through high school, and Marisela wants to teach.

"And someday join 'Riverdance,'" she adds excitedly.

The girls have been practicing every day for more than an hour for the last few months to prepare for the contest.

Monique Hautekeet, 11, clicks her heels as the girls line up and Blanchette starts the music, an Irish song called "St. Patrick's Day."

While their upper-bodies are stiff and entirely motionless, their legs seem to be driving forward, yet they float from side to side in a coordinated, seemingly effortless motion.

More magic from the land of leprechauns.

Contact reporter Peter Thompson at pthompson@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.