Last week, the Irish Dance Team put on their spectacular annual showcase in correlation with St. Patrick’s Day which is the best time of the year, according to most Irish-heritage enthusiasts like the members of the team. 

Despite a campus-wide power outage an hour before the show, the lights came back on just in time for a performance that greatly impressed the audience and decorations that put people in a “St. Patrick’s Day mood.” 

“This showcase has been the most successful one during my time at Villanova,” team captain Rory Beglane said. “The team has grown in size and talent each year and it always shows most during the annual showcase.”

Although the team puts their efforts and work on display like this every year, most people in the audience and the team would agree that this year’s performance comes out on top. 

In addition, the team strays away from traditional music and dance to contemporary and atypical songs that make dancing and watching more interesting for everyone. 

Incoming member and freshman Cailin Ryan expressed her satisfaction with the showcase. 

“I love being part of the Irish dance team,” Ryan said. “This year’s showcase was super fun and I loved it.”

Most people enjoy listening and dancing to traditional Irish music on occasion but listening to the same beats and genre for over an hour can sometimes get dull. 

Along with traditional group dances like Four and Eight Hands and solo numbers like Hornpipes and Reels, Captain and junior, Rory Beglane choreographed various dances to music from movies such as “The Lion King,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Les Miserables.” 

Besides the various dances to movie soundtracks, other members of the team such as Megan Earl and Nina Rossiello enjoyed creating dances to diverse and contemporary songs like “Que Sera” and “Papaoutai.” 

When discussing what music he enjoys more, captain, Rory Beglane expresses multiple views. 

“I prefer dancing to traditional music because it is what I have been going my whole life, but choreographing is so much more fun to contemporary music because the dance can have a theme to it,” Beglane added. 

In addition to the Villanova Irish Dance Team, talented young children from the McDade-Cara School of Irish Dance put on a couple numbers. 

The young dancers provided a refreshing and adorable contrast from the Villanova students.

“I really enjoyed seeing the children dance,” Christine Quinn, parent and audience member, said. “They reminded me of when my children used to dance at a young age. It is interesting to realize that all the dancers on the Villanova team once started out as young children at the beginner level.” 

Overall, the showcase started March off with a bang and reminded the crowd why they cherish and celebrate their Irish Heritage. Everyone who attended the show thoroughly enjoyed the dancing.

“There were a wide variety of dances and it was fun for everyone,” student Julianna Furfari said. “I really enjoyed the contemporary music performances.”