PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A local group of Irish dancers are preparing for St. Patrick's Day weekend. They practice their traditional moves year-round.
Holly Rushing has been performing traditional Irish dance for 16 years.
"I have always loved performing. I think that's my favorite aspect of Irish dance. Irish dancing is very difficult, especially these competitions and I've learned that if I can do this, I can do just about anything," said Rushing.
She attends the Scariff School of Irish dance and her group has been preparing for St. Patrick's Day weekend for months.
"We practice multiple days a week for multiple hours and make sure everyone knows what they're doing and getting the choreography perfect," said Rushing.
Stephen Scariff is the instructor for the group and said he's excited to show the Tampa Bay Area what the dancers have been working so hard for.
"It's energy packed and yeah, expect a lot of energy and fast feet and big kicks," said Scariff.
The dancers said they love performing, but they also love bringing the Irish culture to people who might not experience it otherwise.
"I think a lot of people in the area have maybe some sort of Irish heritage so they'll say 'oh, I'm Irish,' but maybe they don't know about the culture," said Scariff.
Holly said the dancing not only exposes the community to Irish tradition, it also draws people in to small towns.
"Dunedin is already a pretty busy area. I know it does draw a lot of attention. Lots of people coming in excited for St. Patrick's day so I think it is very important for the businesses," said Rushing.
The group will be performing in 34 different shows all over the Tampa Bay Area during St. Patricks day weekend.
"We love to, you know, impress people with our art form or our culture," said Scariff.
