This year the North American Irish Dance Championships (nationals) is being held in Orlando Florida throughout the first week of July. We are very fortunate to have 8 dancers who have qualified for this event and would like to express how proud we are of each and every one of them. Not only are these girls extremely hard workers and dedicated dancers, they set an amazing example for all the dancers at the studio. They are always at class and never miss a chance to dance, putting in the extra work both inside and out of class to achieve their goals. We often get the question from dancers who aspire to one day dance at nationals how you can qualify for this event. The technical definition is to qualify at your regional Oireachtas in the solo level competition or to win two firsts in preliminary championships (depends on region) and qualify for open. However, the real answer is much harder to express in words than simply stating the literal qualification. These dancers spend countless hours both in the studio and at home working to become stronger athletes and to perfect their technique. They have made sacrifices and pushed themselves past what any of us, including themselves, thought they were capable of. As we near the final stretch of training, we would like to congratulate our girls for all they have accomplished so far and wish them the best of luck at the nationals next week. Keep up the good work girls, your almost there!