Through an art form dating back hundreds of years, two members of the Kanaley School of Irish Dance get the opportunity to take a trip across the pond and compete against the best Irish step dancers from across the world.

Madeline Schnitzer, 18, of Eastham and Anabelle Chown, 16, of Orleans study Irish step dancing at the East Wareham school which moved to Wareham in 2023 from Sandwich. The school, owned by Colleen Kanaley Down teaches people traditional Irish dances, such as reels and jigs, and features dancers wearing colorful Irish dresses and wigs.

Dancers from the school will put on performances throughout the South Coast for fundraisers, parades and several different St. Patrick's Day events but students also put their moves to the test in various competitions.

Chown and Schnitzer competed in a regional Irish step dancing competition in Hartford, Connecticut and earned a spot in the world championship being held in Dublin, Ireland Wednesday, April 16.

"I'm feeling really excited because this is my third world championship so I know what to expect," Chown said. "I want to take a deep breath and make sure that I am having fun while doing it."

Schnitzer echoed a similar message saying she feels excited, but nervous.

"There are nerves that come with it but they're good nerves, they're all excited nerves," Schnitzer said.

In order to get ready for the world championship, Schnitzer said she and Chown have both been working hard at honing their craft.

"We're all here to work super hard," she said. "We're in the studio pretty much every single day getting our work done."

Chown added that each day is a chance for improvement and she constantly pushes herself to be a little bit better.

"I try and give my best effort 100% of the time and to do everything one more time," she said. "When class is ending I like to do one extra dance and to top my current self."

Both Chown and Schnitzer said they got into the sport after being introduced to it from a friend and they both said they fell in love with it instantly.

Chown said her favorite aspect of being apart of Irish step dancing has been getting to travel the world performing.

"I've been to Ireland and I went to Glasgow, Scotland for the world championships last year," Chown said. "I loved seeing Glasgow and I got to see the Giants Causeway in Belfast, Ireland which was really cool."

Schnitzer said what she fell in love with was how creative and expressive the sport allows her to be.

"Dance has always been apart of my life and I feel like when I'm dancing I am truly showing my best to everybody," Schnitzer said.