Grade Dancer of the Month: Tomi Elemide
Recognizing the future stars of Irish dancing is not only important but truly fulfilling. We’ve all been there, standing in the grades hall watching the little ones complete their dances with pure joy on their faces; it’s virtually impossible not to immediately smile and connect with what they are feeling. Seeing a tiny dancer run off stage with their trophy or medal and rush towards their parent is uplifting for all who see it.
And then there are the lessons that we see these young people learning and the significant barriers that they are knocking down every time they perform at a feis. Grade dancers, no matter how young or small, are showing bravery, determination and skill. They are learning what it takes to compete; and win or lose, to do so with grace and good sportsmanship. They are constantly reinforcing the ‘I can’ voice within them and that’s such a crucial part of development at their age.
FEIS App is proud to recognize a young man this month who has very recently achieved his goal of breaking out of the grades. After a lot of work at class, and some dancing outside of class as well, he has progressed significantly and is now embarking on the long road as an open dancer. His journey as an open dancer is only beginning, and there is so much about this young man that we want to recognize
Tomi calls his dancing school his dancing family. He loves his dancing friends and appreciates his teachers! On feis days this young man is just as happy cheering for other dancers in his school as he is being in the spotlight himself. He radiates happiness on stage, his huge smile beaming throughout his performance. Tomi has only been dancing for a year and a half, so he has made very speedy progress. And that is made even more startling when one considers that no one in his family danced before him!
We asked Tomi the following questions:
Q – How did you get into Irish dancing?
A – I watched a video of Riverdance and asked my mum if I could do that! She said yes and took me to my dance school.
Q – What is your earliest Irish dancing memory? Can you remember your first class?
A – I was really nervous going to my first dancing class, but everyone was so nice and made me feel ok straight away.
Q – Who would you say is your biggest supporter?
A – My mummy and daddy and my little sister Bryah. Also, my nanny Moira and my granddad Gerard. They come to feiseanna and are so happy when I do well.
Q – What’s your favorite dance and why?
A - I love my heavy jig. Dancing the heavy jig makes me think about my rhythm and it helps me with my other dances too.
Q – What dance do you find the easiest? What dance do you find the most difficult?
A – I find my light jig the easiest and I find The Jockey to the Fair the most difficult. I know though if I keep practicing that my trad set will become easier too.
Q - What area of your technique are you really trying to improve at?
A – I’m trying to get better at my trebles right now, but they’re hard.
Q – What’s your favorite thing about Irish dancing?
A – I love to dance, but I love all the new friends that I make in Irish dancing too. We play and cheer for each other when we dance which is really nice! I love class as it’s always so much fun. I just love it all!
Q – What do you love about dancing at a feis?
A – Getting to wear my new waistcoat and showing off everything that I’ve been working hard on at class!
Q – Do you get nervous when you dance at a feis?
A – Not really, because I have done it before. I just think about how well my dances went before and all of the medals and trophies and enjoy it.
Q – Name a dancer who inspires you to do better.
A – Youcef Belouazani and Lauren Finglas inspire me. They are dancers from my school and they are champions. I watch how they dance and it makes me want to get as good as they are.
Q – What motivates you in dancing?
A – My teachers. They are amazing and constantly push me to be the best that I can be. I feel so lucky that they are my teachers!
Q – How often do you practice?
A – I practice 3 or 4 times a week at class. I practice at home too and I dance everywhere, at the shops, down the street, in school. I can’t stop!
Q – What is your aim for the next two years?
A – My aim for the next two years is to win as much as I can and get ready for my first world championships.
Q – What are your long term goals in Irish dancing?
A – My dreams are to become a world champion Irish dancer and also it would be amazing if I could one day dance in Riverdance. If I could go from watching the videos of Riverdance when I first started to being in the videos, that would be amazing.
Q – What are your teachers like at class?
A – They are brilliant! They can be strict sometimes when you get it wrong, but they work me so hard and push me which I am grateful for.
Q – How often do you feis?
A – I usually go to a feis every three or four weeks. I like having a little gap between feiseanna because it allows me to work on my steps and get better in between.
Q – What difficulties have you had to overcome in your dancing career so far?
A – I have had to work on my confidence. I have learned to just try my very best and I am always happy with what I do then.
Q – Do you have any words of advice for other grade dancers out there?
A – Always do your best and follow your heart. As long as you love to dance, keep dancing and keep smiling!
Q - Have you got any words or quotes that you use to motivate you or lift you up?
A – I always say to myself, ‘I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!’
This young dancer is going to represent Irish dancing well as he embarks on his open journey. He’s achieved a lot in just a year and a half, particularly in a region of dancing where the competition is so strong. We cannot wait to see where he’ll be in another year and a half; enjoying feis culture, beaming on stage and loving his life, we imagine — exactly how it should be! FEIS App is delighted to call Tomi Elemide our Grade Dancer of the Month and we wish him the very best of luck on his Irish dancing journey.