“We figured this was a good way to be Irish and celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but do it non-traditionally,” said the club president, senior social relations and policy and international relations major Edie Pawlak. 

The club is also planning on teaching some other organizations a basic jig.

“It’s a way for people to learn a little bit of Irish dance,” Pawlak said. “I also love saying ‘oh, now you’ll have something to pull out at the bars for St. Patrick’s Day.’”

But the fun doesn’t end there. Pawlak is exercising her creativity by choreographing a performance set to the Shrek soundtrack that the group will perform at its spring showcase April 18. She will dress as the character Donkey, while the rest of the group will be split between Dulocs and ogres.

Part of what makes the Irish Dance Club special, Pawlak said, is that members love to teach newcomers how to ceili dance — a traditional group dance they perform at all their competitions. Freshman nursing major Donovan Garner said he embraces this educational aspect of the group.

“It's cool to get to teach them different dances and kind of show them the Irish dance culture and what that's about,” Garner said. 

Despite many club members being inexperienced in Irish dance, the team remains competitive at collegiate competitions. The group will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to compete in the national championships in April. Members have also performed at various events, including a Detroit Tigers game. 

Part of this ability to perform well and maintain high-level dancing rests on the shoulders of the more experienced members. Pawlak and Garner have both been dancing for around 15 years. Garner exemplifies one end of the experience spectrum, having competed since he was six years old.  

Garner will be competing in his fourth World Irish Dancing Championships (Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne) at the end of March. He’s traveled to Ireland and Scotland in past years, consistently placing in the range of 30th to 40th in his age group. This year, Garner will dance in Schaumburg, Illinois. 

“It’s one of my passions — like I've been doing it for 15 years now,” Garner said. “It gives me something to keep working on and it's been cool to set the goal of going to worlds…it's super fun. I love it and the community is also pretty tight knit.”

That community aspect is something that Garner was looking for after leaving his Irish dance school back home. He found it at MSU through the club — which he knew about because his older brother was also a member when he attended MSU.

“I was missing all of my Irish dance friends and going to Irish dance class,” Garner said. “It's a cool, fun way to continue some of that and not just completely lose what I’ve been doing my whole life.”

A few things are different, however. Most Irish dancers, including Garner, compete by themselves in solo performances. Competing alongside one another was a learning curve for some of the more experienced dancers who were accustomed to dancing alone.

Pawlak has a unique view as the president. She has been a part of the club for four years, so she has gotten to see growth among the members of the club. 

“I love that everybody is so different and is interested in learning something new,” Pawlak said. “They all have different majors, different perspectives of life but we're all able to work together to learn and practice this new skill. All of the dancers are super sweet and motivated to learn and to challenge themselves and to grow.”

Pawlak said she finds a lot of hope and joy through the club because she recognizes when people are brave enough to attempt dancing. One of the club’s activities is a “bring a friend” practice, which cultivates more learning moments and more exposure for the club. 

“That makes my heart really happy,” Pawlak said. “If you’re willing to sacrifice two hours to try something new to support a friend, I feel like that makes you a really good person and says a lot about your character.”