FEIS App's Grade Dancer of the Month - Conor Evans

Here at Feis App we love celebrating grade dancers. Now more than ever, we as a community need to be supporting our grade dancers. We need to keep them engaged, keep them happy and above all else, keep them dancing. They are the future of Irish dancing. We get a phenomenal response every month when we ask schools and dancers to recommend a grade dancer who has shone in his or her school recently. We have also heard that many schools around the world have had a respectable intake of brand new dancers recently — that’s fabulous news for Irish dancing. 

All dancers of course are precious, but one of the extra special things about each grade dancer is that we don’t know what amazing things they are going to achieve in their future! A grade dancer who is recognized early on in their dancing journey could be the next Megan Stuart or the next Stephen Carolan! 

FEIS App’s Grade Dancer of the Month this month is a young man from the Sullivan-Stewart School of Irish dance (Plainville, MA).  This budding Irish dancer has only been dancing for two years and is in the Advanced Beginner/Novice grade within the New England region in America. 

Conor Evans asked his mother to take him to Irish dancing after seeing his sister at class, and falling in love with everything about it. He was in awe of the other dancers in the class, loved the music and the rhythms the dancers created when they danced, and knew instantly that he wanted to be a part of this magical, exciting new world. 

Admitting he felt a little self-conscious and uncomfortable at his first class, his teachers helped him adjust and he was soon off attempting to imitate the other children in the class. In his very first class Conor was able to learn his light jig, much to the delight of his new teachers and his parents.

One of Conor’s special attributes is his naturally competitive nature. He loves to compete against other dancers, both in his class and at feiseanna (when they happen); but he loves to compete against his sister more than anyone else. Having had a head start at Irish dancing, Conor’s sister had already progressed and was on her journey through the grades. This only spurred Conor on however, and it wasn’t long before this determined little fellow had worked himself into the same grade as his sister. In his own words: “I caught up!” 

Even more special than his competitive edge however, is his ability not to lose himself in the competition and become focused on the result at the cost of his enjoyment of dance. Conor loves competition, yes — but he loves to dance more than he loves to win. This is a great attitude for a young dancer to have. 

Conor has many supporters in his class and family but credits his mother as his biggest supporter of all. Conor’s mum is the person who takes Conor to all of his classes and all of his competitions. “Mum is always there to support me and my sister and that really makes a difference! My mum was the one who helped me realize that dancing for the love of dancing is way more important than dancing just to win!”

Conor’s teachers describe Conor as passionate, hardworking, determined, energetic and hardcore! Reads like a recipe for success for a budding Irish dancer! 

His teacher Deirdre shares: “Conor has a spark about his dancing. He has great lift and his timing is spot on! He is extremely hard working and dedicated to dance. He has very high expectations for himself. I would say he could easily dance at Worlds some day, but our competitive future is so uncertain right now that I'm happy just to be able to see him grow as a dancer during this challenging time and he truly is doing that!”

We asked Conor the following questions: 

Q - What has been your best feis that you’ve been to and why?

A - The Holly Feis.  Santa was there and I got two firsts that day.

Q - What dance do you find the easiest? What dance do you find the most difficult?

A – I find the reel the easiest to dance. I just love it and I love how much energy the music gives me. I find the hornpipe the most challenging, although I am getting better. This is the dance that I am practicing the most currently.

Q - What areas of your technique are you really trying to improve at currently?

A – I’m really trying to work on my turnout. My teachers constantly tell me how important it is to turn out my feet and I really want to make this area of my technique perfect for them. I’m also trying to make my stamps louder when I dance. 

Q - What’s your favorite thing about Irish dancing?

A – I just love competing. I love going to a competition and the feeling of being part of the whole event is just brilliant. I love the music too. When I get to an Irish dancing competition and hear the music playing, I can’t stop my feet moving! 

Q – What do you love most about feiseanna? 

A – The results! I love the special ceremonies and waiting to see if my number gets called. 

Q - Do you get nervous when you dance at a feis?

A – No! I really don’t get nervous because I don’t focus on the placements or my results. I’m happy if my results are good and I’m happy if my results are getting better, but I don’t let this ruin my day before I dance by getting nervous. Dancing isn’t all about winning, for me it’s about enjoying every day!

Q - Are you finding it difficult to get into the next grade?

A – Yes, because there are no feiseanna at the minute. I can’t get into the next grade without competing! I’m just using this time to focus on getting better and better at class so that when I can dance at a feis again, I can hopefully move up a grade. 

Q - Name a dancer that inspires you to do better?

A – My sister Leah. She inspires me because I always want to be better than her!

Q – What motivates you to keep dancing?

A – Dancing makes me feel better on bad days. Dancing always makes me feel good. Also, I love going to class because I get to see the school dog!

Q – How often do you practice?

A – I practice at class three times a week and I also practice at home when I can. I love to dance so I dance pretty much everywhere. 

Q – What are your teachers like at class?

A - My teachers are very patient and encourage me to be my best. 

Q - What difficulties have you had to overcome in your dancing career so far?

A - Being a boy in a mainly girl sport with lots of girls is tough. But everyone keeps reminding me that Irish dancing is for both boys and girls and when I see the boys from other schools at competition it reminds me that I’m not the only boy who loves to dance!

Q - Have you got a quote or any words that you use to motivate you of lift you up?

A – Fall down nine times, get up ten!

Will Conor be a future world champion? Will we see Conor raising the trophy at the North American Nationals in the future? Who knows? Will Conor be focusing on the titles whilst wrapping himself in nerves and worry — most certainly No! Conor’s attitude towards competition is one of the things that makes him stand out already. His ability to focus on his love for dancing over and above the result will mean that he’ll have many, many more good days at competitions than bad. Couple that with his determined attitude and this young dancer has all of the ingredients needed for real success. FEIS App is delighted to call Conor Evans its Grade Dancer of the Month and we cannot wait to follow his journey. Best of luck Conor!