Woman to dance with Irish band

By Josh Eiserike

Published: March 14, 2008

Manassas dance instructor Meaghan Sheehan cut a deal with her students.

Popular Irish musical group Leahy held a contest offering people a chance to dance on stage tonight during its performance at the Center for the Arts Concert Hall at George Mason University.

Sheehan, who is a dance instructor at the Academy of Russian Ballet in Manassas and at the Prince William Dance Academy in Nokesville, wanted her students to enter. So, she told them she would enter if they did.

Leahy, a Canadian group of eight siblings, performs Irish-inspired folk music. The group has sold over half a million albums.

Sheehan, an Osbourn Park High School graduate, submitted a short essay about why she wanted to dance on stage.

"They wanted dancers of all skill levels and ages," Sheehan said.

She wrote that she wanted to be on stage to encourage her students and share her passion for Irish dance.

She won.

"I was shocked," Sheehan, 22, said. "I wanted one of them (her students) to win."

She will dance with the band on stage during its song "A Call To Dance." According to Leahy's Web site, another woman, April Swartz, will also dance with Sheehan and the band.

She doesn't have a routine to follow, only the instructions to dance.

"I'm definitely excited, but I'd be crazy if I wasn't a little nervous," Sheehan said.

As a young girl, she started taking classes with the O'Neill-James School of Irish Dance in Arlington.

"It became addictive," Sheehan said. She finished 10th at the 2002 Irish Dance World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

She heard about the contest to dance onstage with Leahy in February.

"In the Irish world, they're very up and coming," said Sheehan. "(I'm) a big fan. My students dance to their music all the time. It's very upbeat and very catchy."

Sheehan added that although she has not seen the band, she knows they dance during their performances. Plus, she's very excited to see them live.

Staff writer Josh Eiserike can be reached at 703-878-8072 or .