44 MARCH 2023 By Mallory Gleich Villa Montessori middle-schooler Tali Mathes has been on the stage since she was six years old. Her talent within the world of Irish dance has taken her to hundreds of competitions – local and worldwide, and earned her an international ranking. In fact, Tali just arrived home from the All Irish Championships in Killarney, Ireland – her first time there – where she placed 26 out of 149 competitors. Tali’s first foray into the world of Irish dancing came from a unique source. One night, her family was out for dinner at Tali’s favorite pizza place. There, she met another girl practicing her steps for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Tali’s interest was piqued. She enrolled in the Michael Patrick Gallagher School of Irish Dance and has been competing in regional, national and world competitions ever since. She is currently ranked fifth in the western U.S. competitions and 14th in North America. “My mom also Irish danced when she was a kid in Chicago,” Tali said. “One of her teachers was Michael Flatley, the creator of Riverdance. My teacher, Michael Pat, danced the lead role in Riverdance for seven tours.” At each class, Tali learns new choreography and steps – which she said are challenging but exciting. Companies dance three times at competitions: two hard shoes and one soft shoe. Some of the steps Tali has mastered include birdies (a jump with one leg extended, one tucked under), clicks, scissors, tuck jumps, curls, twists, kicks, trebles and hops. Competitions are called feis. “There are reels, jigs, hornpipes, and sets. The set dance is when you get to dance solo and show the judges what moves you are strongest in,” Tali said. At the beginner level, dancers have to place first in seven dances to work their way up through Novice, Prizewinner, Preliminary, then Open Champion. “In the western U.S. region, we go to about 10-12 competitions a year,” Tali said. Those competitions usually have about 200-300 total competitors of all ages. Each group dances in their age group. Dresses are custom-made, with Tali’s being a “Rising Star” design from a dressmaker in Belfast, Northern Ireland. At feis, there are three judges and one live musician. Tali said they have seen keyboard players, fiddlers and accordion players at competitions who know hundreds of Irish dance songs. The set she’s working on now is called Planxty Hugh O’Donnell, but her favorite dance is the Slip Jig. The two dances leading up to recalls [where the judges call a dancer up to perform once more – this means a dancer is guaranteed to medal] are about a minute each. Contemporary sets range from 90 seconds to two minutes long. Tali practices three times a week for two hours each time, and also spends one-on- one time with her instructor every week. With years of practice under her belt, Tali will showcase her talent in Casper, Wyoming, in March, then head to the World Championship in Montreal, Canada, in April. “I don’t count how many competitions I’ve won. I have a lot of trophies and medals,” she said. “It’s fun to win and to work hard. I like seeing my competitors. We chat and laugh, and we tell each other good luck. We’ve grown up together on the stage.” And although winning at a local feis makes Tali happy, winning at major competitions like regionals, nationals and worlds makes her feel like her hard work has paid off. “I think it is a great activity to join. For kids, it’s a unique sport where you can make great friends. It’s very athletic and challenging, but it’s also very fun and exciting,” Tali said. “I want to keep dancing as long as I enjoy it and my mom supports me.” Tali’s hope at the All Irish Championship was to come home with a medal. She beat her own goal by placing 26 th and heading home with not one, but three medals. Before Tali heads to Wyoming and Montreal, she’ll be showing off her moves at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Phoenix on March 11. PUTTING HER BEST FOOT FORWARD Arcadia teenager is a world champion in Irish dance Tali and some classmates from the Michael Patrick Gallagher School of Irish Dance at the AZ State Championships after a Ceili dance competition. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATTY MATHES Tali won first place at the AZ State Championship Feis in January 2023. She has been participating in Irish Dance since she was six years old.