One of the million great things about Lawrence is that there is nearly always something going on. This weekend was graduation, so the retailers downtown decided to pull out all the stops in an effort
to squeeze just a few more dollars out of the KU kids before they went home, and out of the parents who were feeling sentimental that their babies were graduating college. Keeping the theme, "Brits", the local store that sells nothing but items from Britain (as you probably guessed, I love this store...), decided to have their Brit-fest this weekend. Pete and I perused the event foregoing some very tempting clotted cream and ginger beer (more like root beer than actual beer), but found the Lawrence school of Irish-step dancing performing out front.
Now truthfully, I'm not sure exactly how this relates to Brit-fest. Ireland is no longer under British rule, and they haven't been for a LONG time (Bravehart anyone?). Yes, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom,
but I've never heard that the origin of this dancing comes from that part of the Irish culture.
Nevertheless, this girl charmed me and the rest of Mass street that had gathered to watch her on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. She was obviously nervous, but performed flawlessly (as far as I can tell, anyway). (For a very funny aside, check out this father-son team doing some "Irish Step Dancing" on Britain's Got Talent. Watch out Susan Boyle, they may give you a run for your money!! )
In the end, she was a very gracious performer, bowing to her fans and thanking them for their careful attention. I expect she'll be receiving a call from Michael Flately in the very near future.
