Canton teen to compete at All-Ireland dance championships

As her classmates settle in front of the television for a relaxing February vacation, Canton resident Bridget Ponte will be under the lights competing for a title at the 2011 All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championships in Killarney, Ireland.

Ponte watched her older sisters participate in step dancing before she first picked up the soft shoes at age 5. Since that initial foray into the world of Irish dancing, she has worked nonstop to reach the top level of the sport.

She can be found at least three times a week at the O’Shea-Chaplin Academy of Irish Dance, practicing her steps and rehearsing new routines. The academy is more than just a school of dance for Ponte; it is a hub of tradition.

The O’Shea-Chaplin Academy originated in Ireland in 1954 before opening up shop in Boston in the 1960s. Rita O’Shea, the academy’s founder, taught Ponte’s Irish-born mother. One generation later, O’Shea’s daughter, Lisa Chaplin, instructs and choreographs Ponte.

Irish step consumes Ponte’s time outside of school at Archbishop Williams in Braintree, but the dedication has been well worth it. Upon learning she had earned a spot at the championships, she said she was “so excited [she] could hardly breathe.”

Ponte has performed in a variety of regional competitions, which have taken her to areas of the country previously unexplored. The gains have not just been geographic.

“I made friends that I’ll never forget,” she said. “I learned to perform in front of large crowds – at weddings, St. Patrick’s Day parties, and even the Paw Sox game.”

The world of Irish step is diverse and made up of a vast network of dancers, with a full schedule of competitions that demand the very best from their participants. The week surrounding St. Patrick’s Day is especially ripe for Irish steppers, who might perform every night at various parties and clubs. Ponte has also performed at the Irish Cultural Centre, located off Route 138 in Canton.

After winning three competitions in the past six months, Ponte is ready to compete in Killarney. She will perform a solo routine and must impress a three-judge panel, performing certain steps and skills in her original choreography. To win, she needs to defeat opponents from all over the world.

Her costume, a beautiful dress adorned in traditional Irish imagery, was custom-made by a private dressmaker in England.

Along with competing for the championship, Ponte will also be enjoying Ireland for the first time and will be turning 18. The competition may also mark the end of her Irish step career, since she will likely leave the sport behind while she pursues a degree in nursing at Anna Maria College next year.

Ponte has her sights set on winning, but she also appreciates everything dance has given her.

“I hope I can do well and represent my dance school and my teachers,” she said. “It’s a great Irish tradition, and if someday I have daughters, I hope to pass it on to them.”

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Posted by Kelsey Oates on Feb 3 2011. Filed under Beyond CHS, Features, News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.