MADISON, Wis. — A local Irish dancer is introducing a new side of the industry through contemporary music and costumes.
Mary Papageorge has been Irish dancing since she was 5-years-old. Since then, she’s competed all around the world in places such as Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the U.S.
“I love the tradition, especially on days like today when its St. Patrick’s Day and embracing the holiday and all the Irish music, the food, the culture,” Papageorge said. “I love that.”
The dancer is placing a contemporary spin on the sport while sticking to the basic rhythms and techniques.
She began posting videos of her dance moves to different genres of music on Tik Tok. This is when she developed an online following for her talent.
“With my videos, I’m definitely trying to rebrand that and make it a little bit more contemporary so that it’s more appealing to people,” Papageorge said.
According to Mary, there is more that goes into a video than people may realize. She says she puts much thought into the location, song, outfit and choreography.
“It’s a lot because it’s my hard work going out to the open and sharing what I love with the world,” Papageorge said. “Making everybody’s day happier is my goal throughout all of this.”
While Papageorge doesn’t participate in competitions anymore, she says that medals weren’t the only thing she was rewarded with.
She has made a tight-knit group of friends that she considers to be her best friends.
“You think in the moment Irish dance is all your life when you’re doing competitions and its the end all be all, but once you’re retired and do it as a hobby, it’s interesting to catch up on peoples lives,” she said.
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