Ridgefield Dancer Completes Winning Year of International Competition

**News Release Submitted by Boardwalk Media + Communications**

Nov. 2, 2022

Jillian Collins of Ridgefield, a junior at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., placed second in the Ladies Under 20 division at the Great Britain Irish Dancing Championships in London on Oct. 22.

Her strong finish on the international stage follows being crowned champion at the North American Championships in the Ladies U20 division this past July in Montreal. In April, Jillian placed sixth at the 50 th Anniversary of the Irish Dancing World Championships in the Ladies 19-20 division held in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

“While my husband, John, and I are proud of Jillian’s results at these major competitions, we are most proud of the way that Jillian conducts herself as an ambassador for her sport, her New England Region, her dancing school, and our family,” said Jillian’s mother, Attorney Jennifer Collins, who is running for Judge of Probate in the 45th District, serving Ridgefield, Redding, Newtown and Bethel. Jillian dances for the Doherty Petri School of Irish Dancing, based in Bethel. Her dance teachers’ faces light up when they speak about Jillian. “There have been very few young women in the Irish dancing community who have distinguished themselves as Jillian has. She is a delightful student and a true asset to our school where her hard work and good sportsmanship provide a true role model to younger students. Her spectacular resume sets Jillian apart as one of the most accomplished dancers in the history of North American Irish dancing,” said the school’s owners, Lisa Petri Amos and Karen Petri.

“I am very thankful to have such a supportive family and dance teachers,” Jillian Collins told The Lafayette student newspaper in a story last spring. “I am fortunate to have made many friends across the world and to have learned so much from my different experiences through dancing,” she added.

In addition to her 2022 major competition results, Jillian previously won the New England Regional Championships four times and another North American Championship in 2018. In 2019, she placed ninth in her division at World Championships. He next major competition is the New England Championships being held in Hartford in November. Jillian is a psychology major at Lafayette College. She hopes to work with special needs children with developmental disabilities after graduation in 2024.

**News Release Submitted by Boardwalk Media + Communications**