Trinity Academy dancers perform in Scotland

Mary Claire McDonnell of Barrington and Kendall Gaspari of Palatine, representing Chicago's Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, competed at the World Irish Dancing Championships March 28-April 4 in Glasgow, Scotland.

McDonnell, 13, took 50th place out of 164 competitors at the world championships. She has been competing regionally for the last five years and has consistently been in the top 10. This was her third trip to the world championships, where she has recalled every year. Mary Claire is a seventh-grade student at St. Anne's School and is involved in lacrosse, golf, skiing and music.

Gaspari, 15, is a freshman at Fremd High School, where she is involved in the cross country and track programs. In competitive dancing, Gaspari has been a part of gold- and silver-medal winning teams at the world championships, placed 4th in the region, 19th in the nation and 26th at the All-Ireland Championships. Gaspari is a member of Trinity II, the junior performance company, and will be traveling to the Iowa Irish Fest this summer.

"Kendall has doubled her ability in the last year. As a person, she's reserved and intelligent, but when she hits the stage she becomes a very aggressive, strong dancer," said Trinity's founder, Mark Howard.

"Mary Claire is an incredible champion with a very promising future. She is new to the Trinity program and learned an impressive amount of material in a very short time. Being the champion that she is, she decided she would rather compete with her new material than sit on the sidelines."

The Trinity Academy of Irish Dance will step onto the Schaumburg High School stage in its annual spring performance May 8. In a heart-pounding display of strength and agility, Trinity dancers ages 4 to 18 will use new choreography to perform old favorites, including "The Dawn," "Celtic Tiger" and "Encore." Included in the performance lineup is Peter Dziak, the Villa Park 11-year-old and 2010 World Irish Dance Championship silver medalist.

Anyone interested in learning Irish dance is invited to participate in Trinity's Taste of Trinity program this summer. Boys and girls ages 4 to 12 discover the basics of Irish dance and learn the proper techniques of movement set to the rhythm of Irish music. The session concludes with a 15-minute special performance for family and friends. No previous dance experience is necessary.

Registration for Taste of Trinity is now open; space is limited. Cost is $95 for six classes, which includes a Trinity T-shirt. Visit trinityirishdancers.com for details.