When Irish feet are dancing Irish dance school to perform in a host of area St. Patrick's Day events

By Laurie Gordon
BYRAM — Some little ladies have some big performances coming up to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
This Saturday, March 12, students at the An Clár School of Irish Dance will be marching in the Morris County St. Patrick's Day Parade; then on Saturday, March 19, they'll Irish-step down Spring Street in the Sussex County St. Patrick's Day Parade.
In addition, they will be performing at the St. Jude's Parish Corn Beef Dinner, at Sokol Lodge, in Boynton, N.Y., at St. Kateri Church's Irish Brunch in Sparta, and at Bristol Glen in Newton.
"A lot of planning and organizing goes into all the events, and special practices are held at the end of our regular classes leading up to the event," said An Clár's owner and instructor, Lexa Hickey. "The key is making sure that all the events are timed properly so that the dancers and families have to time to travel and arrive on time."

For 13-year-old Kassie Bream, the Sussex County St. Patrick's Day Parade is something near and dear to her heart. "It was the first parade that she ever did four years ago when she started Irish dancing, so she just loves that one," said her mother, Cris Bream.
Kassie's third grade teacher, a competitive Irish dancer, had taught her class a few dance moves as part of a cultural unit. "That was it, and it took us a year to find Lexa and the school in Byram, because we didn't know it existed," Bream said. "Since then, Kassie has just been hooked on Irish dance, and this time of year with all the events is something she totally enjoys."
Mara Mahon of Stillwater described participating in the St. Patrick's Day events as "a great way to celebrate my Irish heritage." Her grandfather is Irish, and she's been Irish dancing since she was five. "I love being in the parades," Mara added, "because it's fun and people can see what we do."
Mara's sister, Aylia, a sixth-grader, observed, "Being part of the Saint Patrick's Day events is an opportunity to demonstrate team spirit and celebrate Irish dance. Lexa teaches us to support each other while we individually strive on our own goals. I like dancing as a team; it just makes you feel good about yourself, your dancemates, and working to succeed."
For the parades, Hickey has the dancers wear their dance sneakers or regular running sneakers, as dance shoes are expensive and can easily get ruined from walking in parades. Regarding costumes, she said, it depends entirely on the venue where they're performing, and for the parades,on the weather.
"For most events, dancers are either wearing their custom solo costume or the school costume. However, if the weather is predicted to be raining or snowing, I have all my dancers wear their school track jackets or sweatshirts with black pants," Hickey said.
"While we love to showcase the beautiful costumes, when it is raining, it is not worth risking them getting ruined."
"I have danced in snow and rain, but my favorite is sunshine," said Aylia Mahon. "I appreciate the opportunities to have fun in March, performing in parades, (at) the Irish cottage, nursing homes, and churches.
"I have many wonderful memories of dancing in parades with team An Clár," she said.