Published: April 24, 2009 11:39 pm      

Westmont grad competes in step dancing championship

Irish step dancing is centuries old, but burst onto the world stage in the mid-1990s when “Riverdance” came to Broadway and brought audiences to their feet.

The dance company was the spark that inspired Jordan Long, 20, to chase her dream.

Long, the daughter of Susan Long of Westmont and Stephen Long of DuBois, Clearfield County, recently returned home from her studies in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to compete in the World Irish Step Dancing Championship held in Philadelphia the second weekend of April.

It was the first time the championship was held in North America.

“They usually are conducted in Ireland or Scotland,” she said. “I found it ironic that when I qualified, I would be returning so close to my home to compete.”

A petite blonde, Long was among nearly 6,000 costumed dancers competing for a world title.

The dance is judged on maintaining a rigid upper body, intricate footwork, timing and execution.

Other major parts of her competition involve make-up, hairstyles – usually wigs of bouncing corkscrew curls – and costumes.

“There were 150 dancers in my category, but I didn’t get recalled after the first round,” Long said. “It was always my dream to dance in the world championships and just qualifying fulfilled that dream. I don’t know if it has sunk in yet.”

Long, a 2006 graduate of Westmont Hilltop High School, began her studies at Juniata College in Huntingdon when she got an opportunity to take part in the college’s international study program.

Because of her devotion to step dancing, she is spending her junior year of college at the University of Ulster at Belfast.

It seemed like a natural affiliation for the energetic Long, whose grandfather on her mother’s side was Irish, and she grew up on Irish folklore.

She saw “Riverdance” at age 8 and was mesmerized by step dancing’s prescribed style choreography, complete with the stiff upper body, arms down at the sides and classic outfits.

Young people in Ireland often begin step dancing at age 3, but Long was 10 when she began lessons with the Pittsburgh-based Shovlin Academy of Dance.

Dance academy owner, Sheila Shovlin, said in a telephone interview from her South Hills office that Long is the only student she has taught who has gone on to compete in a world championship.

“She is an extremely motivated and energetic dancer,” Shovlin said. “She possesses an amazing talent and if she didn’t know something she went out on her own to master it.”

After going to Ireland in July, she enrolled at the Mulvenna Academy of Irish Dance where she continues to dance three times a week.

“Right now, academics come first,” she said, prior to returning to Ireland last Saturday. “I will continue to dance at the Mulvenna Academy and may eventually teach step dancing or judge competitions.”

But until that time, Long expects to dance competitively throughout the next decade, with an eye of returning to the world championships.

“My goal, now, is to qualify again but advance further during the championship,” she said.

She has not ruled out dancing with a professional company where she can polish her stage presence.

Going to Ireland has been an enriching experience.

“Living in Ireland is even better than I thought it would be,” she said. “The people of Ireland were really interested in our presidential election. They view most Americans as klutzy and materialistic.”

She has explored other forms of expression, too. She plays the Irish fiddle and the bodhran, a hand-held drum used in traditional Irish music.

The multitalented Long also makes her own costumes and has made outfits for other dancers to earn additional money.

“Designer costumes can range from $700 to $5,000,” she said. “I can make one for about $450.”

She will return to Juniata for her senior year to complete degree work in natural science and fine arts.

Following graduation, Long expects to return to Ireland where she will spend three years getting a podiatric doctorate, which she hopes will lead to a career in research.

“Since the focus in Irish step dancing is on the lower limbs, the problems that occur there are different than those that plague ballet dancers or runners,” she said.

She has danced throughout the region and had an opportunity to appear on stage with Gaelic Storm, the internationally known Celtic band that performed at the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center.

“People may remember the band when they appeared in the movie ‘Titanic.’ ” she said.

“They were the band who played for the Irish immigrants who were dancing on the lower deck.”