Beachwood Irish Dance Troupe Wins World Title T he Murphy Irish Dance Troupe recently competed in the World Championships of Irish Dance in Montreal, Canada. They were among thousands of dancers from around the world who traveled to Montreal to compete in solo and team dancing for world titles. The competitions took place over Easter week from Sunday, March 29, to Sunday, April 5. The Dance Drama category, which requires the competitive teams to portray a story of Irish background through music, sets, props, costumes, make up and, of course, excellent dancing, competed on Friday, April 3. The title for the Dance Drama competition was “Miracle on Whiskey Island.”The story revealed life in the 1800s for the Irish immigrants who worked on the Cleveland docks and lived in the derelict Whiskey Island, which exists today although much changed. The 17 dancers portrayed a mother with her two daughters, a mean landlord with his four bosses and their apprentice boys who do all the dirty work, three magical fairies from Ireland, and the landlord’s two children who start out being mean and wild but end up being obedient and pleasant. Dancers range in age from 9 to 24 and all live in Cleveland’s eastern suburbs. Included are a Cleveland Heights policeman, a Ph.D candidate at Case, a senior and sophomore at John Carroll University, a sophomore and three seniors in high school, seven middle-school dancers and two children. Additional congratulations go to Tom Conkey, Annie Profeta and Hugh O’Neill for competing and placing as soloists in the World Championship. The Murphy Irish Arts Center, in its 37th year, is under the direction of its founder, Sheila Murphy Crawford, who developed the Whiskey Island story and dance. She and her niece, Maureen Cavanaugh, are certified dance teachers and part of the governing body of Irish Dance in Dublin, Ireland. Her husband, Bob Crawford, the technical director, also helps the parents with the development and construction of sets, props and costumes. The team received five first-place votes from the judges, one second-place and one fourth-place. Throwing out the high and low, they scored 475 out of 500 and beat out the next closest team by 105 points. Pictured: Murphy Irish Arts Center team, in costume, at the World’s ceremony, along with Sheila Murphy Crawford, director, teacher and producer of "Miracle on Whiskey Island" (left) and Maureen Cavanaugh, teacher (right). CONGRATULATIONS DR. SHIRA TOR • Orthodontic Specialist • Treating Children and Adults for Over 30 Years • Premier Invisalign® Provider • Free Initial Consultation meet our team. Weiss Orthodontics congratulates Dr. Shira Tor on passing her boards and becoming a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. She is one of a few female orthodontists in Northeast Ohio to achieve this status. Call today to improve your smile! Expanded hours to better serve you. www.weissorth.net In Search of Excellence We accept most insurances. Stop in for an eye exam! Eton Chagrin Boulevard, Woodmere, OH | 216-514-3002 Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics Dr. Ira Weiss and Dr. Shira Tor eyetique.com 216.292.6340 • 3755 Orange Place • Suite 100A • Orange Village 440.885.1980 • 7055 Pearl Road • Suite 100 • Middleburg Heights 16 Beachwood Buzz n May 2015