Hadley, 15, and Hannah, 18, Hofreiter

Why nominated

“These siblings have been Irish dancing for over 10 years,” wrote their mom, Dawn Hofreiter. “… These dedicated dancers also are excellent students and all-around great kids. Hannah spent her summer lifeguarding and volunteering at Memorial Hospital’s pediatric play room. Hadley helps out around the house and mows neighbors’ lawns. It is unique to have two siblings involved in dance together.”

Achievements

Each earned a national title in July at the North American Irish Dance Championship in Nashville, Tenn.; Hannah’s team of 16 dancers from Celtic Steps School of Irish Dance took first place in senior ladies figure choreography (for ages 16-20); siblings were both part of an eight-dancer team from Celtic Steps that took first place in the 8 Hand Mixed contest for the 16-20 age division; Hadley earned 12th place in solos and qualified for the World Irish Dancing Championships, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in April; the siblings’ senior mixed Ceili team took first; Celtic Steps school performs shows for nursing homes and elementary schools around St. Patrick’s Day.

The siblings, along with others from the Celtic Steps School of Irish Dance, performed at a fundraising golf tournament Sept. 25 in Castle Rock.

Q&A with Hannah, 18

How did you get interested in Irish dance?

“I had a friend when I was about 5 years old, and she was always dancing around, and one day she invited me to a show. After seeing her perform onstage, I signed up for a class.”
 
What did you win?

“We won the title, of course, and we got a trophy for our school. And each team member got medals.”

What is figure choreography?

“It’s a team of 16 people, and it’s a uniquely choreographed dance. … The figure choreography was choreographed specifically for our school. … It has some more modern movements, more showlike, kind of like the Lord of the Dance, rather than traditional moves. It’s really fast movement, and it’s in the lighter shoes, so there’s no noise.”

What’s Ceili?

“That’s a dance out of a book, and there’s multiple schools that do that. … The Ceili (pronounced KAY-lee) is more traditional, and that’s why they call it a book dance. And schools all over the world perform the same dance.”

What do judges look for in judging figure choreography?

“Creativity, footwork is important, and how much the team stays together on the stage.”

What do they look for to judge Ceili?

“That’s mostly footwork, and how you hold your lines, and placing on the stage with the other team members.”

Which style do you prefer?

“They’re kind of different, so they’re hard to compare. The figure choreography is really high energy, so it’s fun, but the Ceili is focused.”

How often do you practice dance?

“Anywhere from four to five days a week. It’s usually around two hours, but we have some days that are eight hours.”

How do your feet feel after the really long sessions?

“We have lots of blisters, missing toenails. But it’s worth it when you win.”

What are your hobbies aside from dancing?

“Dancing takes up a lot of my time. But other than that, schoolwork. I love to shop, I’m really into fashion. I like to make things — I’m into crafts, like making clothes and stuff like that. Hanging out with friends, going to the movies.”

What are your future plans?

“I want to be a nurse practitioner, that’s my goal. But I also want to earn my TCRG, which is your Irish-dancing teaching license.”

Do you want to stay in town or move away?

“I might stay in Colorado Springs, I might go to Denver — our school has another location in Denver. Right now I’m not really sure, but I do like Colorado.”

Final thoughts about Irish dancing

“It’s something you need a passion for. It’s a lot of hard work, but in the end it’s worth it.”


Q&A with Hadley, 15

Why did you take an interest in Irish dancing?

“I got started because (Hannah) started there (at Celtic Steps). When I was little my mom put me in there.”

Do you guys have Irish heritage?

“We have a little bit of Irish heritage.”

Are you planning on going to the world championships?

“We’re planning on it. That’s coming up soon.”

How much will it cost to go?

“Well it’s going to be in Glasgow, Scotland, and I don’t know how much tickets cost. We’re actually planning on doing some fundraising — car washes, we’re going to dance for shows.”

So solo dancing is your main thing?

“Yeah, well, (Hannah’s) more into the team dancing, and I’ve been more into the solo dancing. Being a boy in Irish dance, it’s more something the boys are used to because there’s not as many of us. So a lot of girls do the teams.”

Do you make up your own dances?

"We sometimes get to make up our own steps every once in a while, but (usually) it’s our teachers who make up all our steps for us."

How often do you practice?

“Every day. We go to the school about four to five times a week, and the other times we’re practicing at home.”

What are your hobbies aside from dancing?

“I like to run, and I like to swim also. Normal stuff teenagers like to do.”

What are your future plans?

“Well, I was looking at going into the medical field, and I was looking into being a physician’s assistant. I’ve always been really interested in the medical field.”

Final thoughts on Irish dance

“It’s an awesome sport. I’ve been doing it for a really long time, and it’s something I really like.”

More information: celticsteps.org