Upper East Side Dancer Places 8th In World Irish Dance Championship

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Upper East Side Irish dancer broke through the top 10 at this year's World Irish Dance Championships, finishing in an impressive eighth place.

Keilani Collins, a 19-year-old freshman at Sacred Heart University, has been practicing Irish dance at the Upper East Side's Aherne Sheehan School since she was just a wee lass at eight years old.

This year was her third time at the world championships, but the first time she broke through the top 10 — although Collins came close in years past.

But this was her breakout year, all while juggling the pressures of being a freshman in college.

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“It was a lot of late nights staying on top of school work, training as much as I could, and commuting back to the city for classes and private lessons with my teachers” Collins said.

“It was a team effort," said her teacher from the Aherne Sheehan School, Elise Wright. "Keilani showed us that she was willing to put in the work and make the sacrifices, so our whole team of teachers was there to guide her.”

Over 5,000 dancers from across Ireland, the United Kingdom, and North America traveled to compete in the eight-day-long event that concluded on Easter Sunday.

Dancers, whose ages ranged from nine to 30-years-old, competed in a mix of solo and team competitions, with winners taking home coveted globe trophies.