NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A group has been a Nashville tradition for decades now, and we are certainly getting into their season. This year brings several milestones and an impressive award.
There's such a precision to what the Nashville Irish Step Dancers do.
"We've been dancing here for a lot of years, so that's how we get so good!" one boy told me before running out into the rehearsal space.
Well, there is that. There's also instructor Mary Moran. The crew knows her as Miss Mary. She has this thing she tells her dancers if they mess up.
"Smile bigger!" two boys chimed in.
"The fact you can keep going when you make a mistake, that's life," Mary smiled.
Does anyone mess up a step or two?
"This guy does!" one boy said pointing to another. "I don't! I've never messed up!"
"Miss Mary's a really good teacher," a girl added. "She gives us criticism to help us, not to bring us down."
"Look how simple the costumes were," Mary said, digging out a photo album of her family. "That's me!"
Her parents were Irish immigrants. Mary moved to Nashville, looking to break into country music.
"I was going to be the next Reba!" she said. "God had a different plan for me."
When she started teaching Irish step dancing in Nashville in 1990, Mary said she was the only teacher in town. She had a small group of students for a few years, and then something changed everything.
"Riverdance came out," she remembered. "It literally became a mainstream art form. Everybody wanted to learn Riverdance."
The group's now rehearsing for their Celtic Rhythms on Fire show on March 8 at Lebanon's Capitol Theatre in addition to their Grand Ole Opry performance on March 15.
It's a time of reflection for Mary. She's just been named one of the top teachers in the world by Irish Dancing Magazine. Her group's in its 25th year performing at the Opry, and it's her 35th year teaching.
"It feels like it was just yesterday," Mary said. "I feel old in that respect, but I don't feel old if that means anything! I guess I'm very well-preserved!"
In all that time, there's something that's never changed for Miss Mary. It's that feeling when every step from her team is perfect.
"That is just, it's money in the bank," she nodded. "It's golden. It's just a beautiful legacy to leave behind."
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Shred the gnar with Patrick - the snowboarding lawyer that will remind you not to take things too seriously! His cheeky, cheerful attitude is contagious. His only complaint? The lack of chairlifts at the Tennessee State Capitol of course. Watch his story for an instant pick-me-up on a frigid day.
-Rebecca Schleicher
