Orono Student Prepares for Irish Dance Championships in Dublin

St. Patrick’s Day doesn't arrive in Lake Minnetonka until March 17, but Lauren Adams-Plehal is getting ready for a real dose of Ireland this spring when the Orono seventh-grader competes in the Cumann Rince Naisiunta (CRN) Irish Open Championships in Dublin.  

“I love performing,” Adams-Plehal said. “It's fun to see the crowd's reaction, especially when there are little kids trying to dance along.”

Adams-Plehal became interested in Irish dance when she saw a performance at age 6. She started taking lessons and now studies at Rince Nua, an Irish dance school in Maple Grove. "Rince nua" means “new dance” in Irish.

To prepare for the Irish Open, Adams-Plehal practices at least an hour each day, in addition to four hours of dance class per week.

“Lauren is a hard worker with a continual drive to do whatever it takes to become a better Irish dancer,” Erin Cooney, Rince Nua dance instructor who has taught Adams-Plehal for three years, said.

Adams-Plehal will also be training with Brian Cleary, one of the founders of CRN. 

“He is coming to Minnesota to do some workshops and private lessons with my team before we go to Ireland,” Adams-Plehal said.

The middle-schooler will travel to Ireland with four of her Rince Nua teammates. One of her teammates, Allie Hartlein of Orono, also qualified for the Irish Open but is not able to attend due to other commitments.

The dancers qualified for the Irish Open at the North American championships in Chicago last fall.  

“It was so exciting when they called my name,” Adams-Plehal said. 

To qualify for the Irish Open, a dancer must place in the top three at nationals. Adams-Plehal placed third in "mean grad reel."  Mean grad is the level, and reel is the kind of dance. 

Irish Open winners will receive medals and trophies, but “the title is the main thing,” she said.

“One of the challenges in competing in Dublin is getting accustomed to the time change in order to have the energy and focus you need to compete to your best ability,” said Cooney. “The dancers competing from Ireland and Europe will not have that concern.”

Despite the pressure, Adams-Plehal doesn’t expect to get stage fright.

“I've been performing since I was seven, so I don't get very nervous,” she said.  “Being onstage is always exciting. It's fun looking out into the crowd. “

Her mother will be in that crowd, and the two plan to make time to explore the Emerald Isle's culture.

“My mom and I look forward to shopping and seeing the sights,” said Adams-Plehal. 

When she returns from Ireland, she won’t have much down time.  

The Rince Nua team, consisting of 27 girls, will perform as the halftime show at a Minnesota Swarm lacrosse game at the Xcel Energy Center in April. They will entertain at a wedding in June and dance at the Irish Fair of Minnesota in August.   

The team performs at schools, churches and senior centers throughout the year. Adams-Plehal and Hartlein also perform at the annual Orono International Festival in October.

But spring is the busiest time of year for the dancers.  

“The season kind of gets into full swing at the end of February,” said mom Kim Adams-Plehal.    

The Rince Nua team will give multiple performances on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.  The next day, they will perform at Landmark Center in St. Paul.

Hopefully, Adams-Plehal will stay injury-free during this busy season so she is ready for the Irish Open. 

“In my third year, I fractured my ankle,” she said. “I was in a cast for a couple months, but I still made the recital by the end of the year.”

Irish dancers are known for their dazzling costumes and curly, pulled-back hair.

“I have two dresses—my school dress and my solo dress,” said Adams-Plehal.  “In Ireland, I will be wearing my solo dress. A solo dress is one of a kind and made specifically for one person. There are seven Celtic knots on the cape, which stand for the seven years I have been Irish dancing."

And the hairdo?

“It's a wig,” she said, “but it takes about 20 minutes to put on securely.”

When Adams-Plehal isn’t in a dance costume, she is likely in her Girl Scout uniform. 

In her eighth year as a Girl Scout, she is working on earning the Silver Award, the highest award for cadette Girl Scouts.   

To earn the award, Adams-Plehal will plan and execute a community service project that will require at least 50 hours of her time. 

Balancing school with dance and Girl Scouts is a struggle at times, Adams-Plehal admitted. 

“The most difficult part for me is finding time to do my homework,” she said. “I struggle with it every single week.”

Her favorite class is English. 

“A lot of my friends are in that class and Ms. Stanley makes it really fun,” she said.

“Lauren brings a quiet charm and humbleness to our class,” said Orono Middle School teacher Katie Stanley.  “She has proven herself as a leader in writing.  She is a joy to teach and to know.”

She doesn’t have much leisure time, but when she does, Adams-Plehal likes to Skype an out-of-state friend, play Xbox with her brother and enjoy her cats. She is also an avid reader, currently immersed in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard.

Adams-Plehal doesn’t know what the future holds for her in terms of college and career, but she does plan to keep dancing.

“I would love to keep going with Irish dance,” said Adams-Plehal.  “I would like to qualify to teach someday.”

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