"Irish Dancing is more than a sport, it’s a passion, it’s a way of life. For an Irish Dancer, it’s the force that wakes you up in the morning and the inspiration to keep you going all day long. You live for the years of practice and the hours of sweat. You live for the blood coated socks and the involuntary tears running down your cheeks as you struggle to finish your jig.. twice through.. without stopping. You live for the sore muscles and the shoes that cause your feet to blister and the skin to shred right off. Sounds painful but you don’t feel it. And even if you do, you disregard it. You dance through the pain because if you don’t you know you’ll fail; and failure is not an option. Because you dance 365 days a year all for only 6 minutes on stage. 6 minutes in front of 6 judges, the lights blaring down on you, begging you to be perfect. 6 minutes of sweat, of pure terror; and you sure as hell don’t screw those 6 minutes up. Because if you do, you don’t get a second chance.
- Katie Van Horn"