Inspirational Dancer - Névé-Mae McKernan

Is Irish dancing a good thing? Oh no, it’s a great thing — period. The list of benefits for young people goes on and on — physically, mentally and spiritually; but when a person has been dealt a hand that makes their life much more difficult than is the case for the majority of people, Irish dancing is better than great; it can become a sanctuary, a temporary relief, a consistent place where that difficulty, although still felt and experienced at class, will play second fiddle (at least most of the time) to what the dancer needs to achieve.

One thing that writing this series of articles has taught the FEIS App team is that Irish dancing can be of great service to dancers with additional needs. Dance schools around the world have dancers who have needs over and above ‘the norm’, and consistently in these articles we hear: ‘my teacher makes me feel like I can do anything’, ‘my teacher pushes me past where I thought I could possibly go’, ‘my teacher helped me achieve my dreams’; and the teachers at the Glendarragh Dance Academy are no exception.

Dancing for this long-running UK-based school is a young lady by the name of Névé-Mae McKernan. Névé is a 2 time regional champion and a dancer who has recalled at the CLRG World Championships and the All Ireland Championships. These results are an incredible achievement for anyone, but for someone with a large tumor attached to the main artery in her right leg, these results take on a new meaning.

For Névé, all day, every day, this tumor aggravates the nerves from her right ankle all the way up to the top of her spine; it digs into her calf and shin and can make the simplest activities feel like a chore.

Névé explains how she found out about her condition:

“My condition was diagnosed just after the Dublin worlds in 2017. I came off stage after my first round and literally couldn’t walk. I had been having treatment for what we had thought were shin splints, but it was then diagnosed as a tumor. The doctors advised deep massages for my ‘shin splints’, later realizing that these massages only aggravated the tumor more.

After seeing several different consultants, having MRI scans, x-rays etc, I was referred to a vascular surgeon at Birmingham Royal Orthopedic Hospital who specializes in orthopedic oncology to see if the tumor could be removed.  I was told that unfortunately the tumor was inoperable as it was fused to the main artery, meaning I would potentially lose my leg. I was told as soon as I was diagnosed that I would have to give up dancing!”

Needless to say, Névé’s condition suddenly changed her life completely. Some days Névé cannot get out of bed due to the pain and other days she suffers from extreme cramping. Running any distance is no longer an option for her, and recently, after passing her driving test, she realized that she can only drive short distances because of the pain in her leg.

And then there is the medication: Névé has tried a variety of very strong painkillers, but most don’t come close to any sort of comfort. “I have to dose up before classes and competitions but they often make me tired, light headed and sick. It's hard finding the right balance that allows me to still perform to the best of my ability.”

But, and this is crucial, Irish dancing has ‘kept Névé going’. Irish dancing forces Névé to organize her life in a very strict manner and to keep on top of her fitness and well being in ways that might not suit your average athlete, but which allow her to stay as healthy as possible. When the doctors told Névé that she’d have to give up Irish dancing, she told them in no uncertain terms that giving up Irish dancing was not an option and never would be. “My life revolves around Irish dancing, and I wasn’t prepared to give it up for anybody or anything. My consultant still to this day is amazed that I still fight the pain and continue.”

Dancing is a struggle but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. My condition affects every aspect of dancing from class to feiseanna. At class I struggle doing training that involves continuous impact on my leg, such as drills. Fitness can be really hard to obtain as I start to get really bad cramp whilst doing loads of fulls etc. I often have to miss classes to ice and rest my leg; sometimes I have to miss full weeks of training as the pain often gets unbearable. Leading up to a competition I do not dance for a few days before hand — this is to avoid the chance of over working and damaging my leg just before I am about to perform. The morning of a competition I do as little dancing as possible and instead stretch for hours in advance. At home I drill my steps as much as possible and create workouts that have as little impact on my right leg as possible.”

And Névé credits Irish dancing and her teachers for her ability to not only cope with her condition, but for her ability to rise above it each day. Irish dancing is giving her a strong drive to want to push on with all aspects of her life.

“Irish dancing gives me goals to work towards; if I didn’t dance I think I would struggle to stay motivated. My amazing teachers are the most supportive people and have always been a shoulder to cry on when times have been tough. They constantly push me to my limits to help me achieve my dreams and allow me to pursue goals I never in a million years would have thought I was able to achieve.”

And then there’s the mental aspect of all of this. Being perfectly healthy and progressing within your favorite art form one day, and then to be told about a life-changing medical condition the next would be extremely difficult for anyone to handle, but as  Névé says: “For me, Irish dancing helps my mental health a lot. I’ve had some extremely tough weeks due to my condition but getting back into class and seeing my teammates and teachers instantly lifts my mood. Being around such amazing and supportive people allows me to be even happier despite the pain and dark days I face.”

We asked Névé the following questions:

Q - Can you remember your first class?

A - I can still remember my first class after transferring to the Glendarragh academy back in 2011. Ciara came to the class to teach me all my new steps and I didn’t sit down for the whole class as I was thriving in the atmosphere. My face was purple but I can remember it being the most exciting day ever as I was so happy to become a member of the most amazing school.

Q - How did you get into Irish Dancing?

A - My Dad’s father is from Belfast and my dad’s mother is from Sligo, with him being born in Belfast. My dad is a true Irish man and lives for the Irish heritage. As soon as I could walk he took me to an Irish pub where I started learning my skip two threes, and I have never looked back since.

Q - Who would you say is your biggest supporter? How do they show their support?

A - I would say my mum is my biggest supporter as she is always there for me during the good and bad days. She always knows what’s best in every situation and cheers me up when I’m having a sore day. My mum believes I can accomplish anything that I put my mind to and pushes me to be the best version of myself! My dance teachers, teammates and ‘Team G’ parents have always given me amazing support; they allow me to be confident and always fill me with positive words on feis days.

Q - How would you describe your Irish Dance journey? What hurdles would you say you have had to overcome?

A - Well it sure has been a roller coaster! Constantly being in and out of hospital with numerous injuries and of course my diagnosis has made my dancing journey very eventful. I have had to have real determination and perseverance after being told ‘you will never dance again’ and ‘you have to pack it in’. Coming back from such a life changing injury made me realise its all or nothing, I either grit my teeth and give it my all, or I pack it in and never dance again; and that was never an option for me.

Q - Who is your favorite Irish dancer currently? Why have you chosen this person?

A - I have a few favorite dancers as they all have had a big impact on my life. Within my school, Joseph Howarth, Grace Brealey and Ciara Sabine are huge inspirations to me. Their determination and will to succeed is admirable and it makes me push myself even harder when dancing alongside these amazing dancers. Erin Grace Cooke, despite also being my best friend, inspires me with her passion for dance. Watching her come back from setbacks and achieving amazing results proves that anything is possible when you put your mind to it! These people have always been so supportive and understanding of my condition and have inspired me to keep pushing to achieve my goals, as they are living proof that hard work brings great results.

Q - Who would you say has had the biggest impact on your Irish Dancing and why? If you could put your success down to one person, who would it be?

A - I would 1000% put all my success down to my incredible teachers at the Glendarragh dance academy. Ciara, Arnyah, Helen and Aidan are the most positive and supportive teachers you will ever meet. They have been my rocks throughout my journey and have never ever given up on me. The hard work that my teachers put into teaching me is certainly admirable, and they inspire me to be like them when I grow older. Ciara especially knows me inside and out. As soon as I walk into class she can instantly tell whether I am in pain or whether I am having a bad day. Instead of telling me to give class a miss on a bad day, we will break down my steps and drill small sections to make every lesson worthwhile. I will never be able to thank my teachers enough for not only making me the dancer I am today, but also for helping to make me the determined person that I am — I will never give up on my dreams.

Q - Moving forward is there anything you still want to do? Shows you want to be in?

A - I would love to be a part of a show however due to my condition it’s just not something I would be able to do. Drilling of the routines and performing every day for a long space of time would be extremely strenuous and cause a lot of pain on my leg.

Q - What characteristics do you think a dancer needs in order to become the best?

A - A dancer certainly needs to be determined to do whatever is needed to achieve their goals. Perseverance is very important to ensure you never give up even when you feel like nothing is ever going to plan. Finally, I think a dancer needs to be passionate. If you do not love what you are doing and feel passionate about the sport then you won’t get very far.

Q - What would you say is your biggest ever achievement In Irish Dancing? Why does this achievement stand out to you?

A - My biggest achievement in dancing so far was winning the Midlands Qualifiers last year. I had a really tough year going in and out of hospital due to my leg and my goal was always to simply qualify so that I could start preparing for the 2020 worlds. After my light round I had lost all feeling in my right leg and was in such agony however I was so determined to push through and show off all the hard work I had put in for this competition. When the results came out I was in floods of tears as winning had never crossed my mind — I was in complete shock! It was such an amazing feeling knowing all my hard work and perseverance had finally paid off.

Q - What top tips (say 4 or 5) would you give an aspiring young Irish Dancer?

A - My top tips would be, never stop pushing yourself, as anything is possible. The more you push yourself, the closer you will get to achieving your goals. Be confident and believe in yourself. Confidence shines so brightly on stage and it will make you stand out from the other dancers. Preparation is key! Don’t wait until a few weeks before a competition to start really working hard; be consistent with your training and you will be rewarded. Finally, don’t let anything define you. If you suffer from a condition that limits your training and dancing, rise above it and create new ways to allow yourself to be your best.

Q - Do you have any words or a poem or quote that lifts you up?

A - My favorite is, ‘You have to fight through bad days to earn the best days of your life.’ For me this is so true! Achieving your goals is the most rewarding feeling; it makes all of the tough training sessions and sleepless nights worth it.

Q - If you could send a message to other dancers out there who suffer from medical conditions of their own, what message would you want to share or what advice would you want to give them?

A - Never ever give up. There is always an alternative route that you can take to allow you to keep dancing and doing what you love. You have to fight through your darker days to see the best days of your life! Some people won’t understand your struggles but it is the best feeling when you achieve your goals knowing you had to fight that extra bit harder.

Névé is making a difficult choice. Some might have chosen to hang up their dancing shoes. Some might have decided that the pain simply wasn’t worth it. Névé has decided to live with the pain in order to have Irish dancing in her life. With the support of her amazing parents, teachers and all at the Glendarragh Academy, Névé is still doing what she loves and achieving fantastic results. FEIS App is incredibly proud to share Névé’s story. We  wish Névé the very best and (post-pandemic) we look forward to following her dancing career again.