Traditional, or modern dance, is a common after-school activity for Leesville High School girls. The CDC (Carolina Dance Center) (one of the many Dance Studios available in North Carolina) is where students in dance participate, taking up most of their nights on a regular basis. For Levecque, Irish Dance has become second nature for her.
The long hours of preparation each and every night can be strenuous, but those who participate in dance classes with the CDC and other companies do enjoy their performances, making them satisfied with their time spent practicing for their performances.
The average Leesville student may know of dance, as it is a popular extracurricular activity. However not as many students are aware of the existence of Irish Dance.
“I’ve been involved in Irish Dance for 9 years. My young aunt used to do it, and I would copy her, leading to my interest in the activity. My mom decided to sign me up for classes, and I’ve been doing it since,” said Levecque.
Irish Dance sparked interest from Levecque because of the unique aspect it brings with it. The fact that not many people know about the existence of the version of dance does not bother her.
“I know it’s completely overlooked by a lot of students here. It just takes an interest to me because of how different it is from traditional dance,” said Levecque.
Levecque competes in competitions regularly. For all of her work during the 9-11 hours of practice every week, Levecque recently qualified for the Open Championships of Irish Dance. She also qualified for regionals of Irish Dance (taking place in Houston, Texas), where she competed on November 30th. Levecque has also qualified for the nationals in June in Canada.
Levecque continues to use her passion with others to share the joy it brings her. Levecque is the founder of the Irish Dance Club at Leesville which began at the start of the school year and holds meetings on the first Wednesday of each month, for both lunches.
“We are always happy to see people take part in a new activity like Irish Dance. We teach a new step or a new dance every meeting. No meeting is ever like the last one. Plus there’s snacks,” said Levecque.
Levecque most recently competed in the Regional Championships of Irish Dance, in Houston, Texas.
