Fort St. John Irish dancers compete in Victoria

VICTORIA, B.C.— Several local dancers from the Watt School of Irish Dance competed in Victoria’s Western Canadian Irish Dance Championships last weekend. 

The championships hosted top dancers from across Western Canada, competing for national and world-qualifying placements. 

The local dancers who placed earned a spot at the North American Irish Dance Championships, which will take place in Nashville next July. 

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Nine of the dancers also qualified for the World Irish Dance Championships, which are scheduled to kick off in Montréal next April. 

Here are the Western Canadian Irish Dance Championships results for local dancers:

• In the under-11 category, McKinley Pomeroy placed second and Paisley Gibbons placed fifth, both with world-qualifying placement. Violet Kursteiner placed tenth, Beau Almeida placed eleventh, and Heidi Blackmore placed twelfth.
• In the under-12 category, Hillary Campbell placed first with world-qualifying placement. Gemma Mcquillian placed thirteenth.  
• In the under-13 category, Reese Gibbons placed third, and Kayleigh Fowler placed seventh, both with world-qualifying placement.
• In the under-15 category, Lauryn Campbell placed fourth with world-qualifying placement. 
• In the under-16 category, Naia Gibbons placed first with world-qualifying placement. Ava Wolff placed fifteenth.
• In the under-17 category, Mélodie Kemp placed third with world-qualifying placement.
• In the under-18 category, Emalee Chapple placed second with world-qualifying placement. Fort St. John’s Linley Jarabek, Kristi Braun, and Natasha Bell also competed.