Sienna makes her mark in the world of Irish dancing

Sienna competing in the WIDA World Championships in Killarney in April when she placed 6th

What started as a hobby when she attended Dallington Primary School has turned into a passion for a local school girl who now aspires to be one of the best Irish dancers in the world.

Sienna Cuming, who attends Heathfield Community College, first tried Irish dancing at the tender age of six during an after school club  and, according to mum Sharon, “she took to it like a duck to water”.

“No one else in the family has ever done Irish dancing so it was a huge learning curve for us. It’s completely different from other dancing and the culture is very different.

“Our first competition was a real eye-opener. The hair and costumes are really important and all the dancers have curly hair. It used to take me an hour to rag roll Sienna’s hair the night before every competition to make it curl. Now it’s easier as she wears a wig. There are also two types of special shoes; soft shoes which look a little like black ballet shoes and heavies or treble shoes for percussive dances,” explained Sharon.

Last year Sienna travelled to Killarney in Ireland for the world championships. Sienna came 6th in the under 12 age group in a field of 30 dancers. Recently Sienna won a competition in Herstmonceux run by her dance school ACE Academy.

Sienna with the trophy from the feis in Herstmonceux

Sienna competes regularly up and down the country. Next month she is heading to Stratford on Avon and then in April will travel to Maastricht for the WIDA World Championships.  Sienna was in Ireland twice last year, once for the WIDA World Championships and then for the ‘All Irelands’.

Sharon went on to say: “Irish dancing is a sport and Sienna has to keep very fit. We are very proud of her and how hard she works. She did really well very quickly and it is very gratifying as a mum to see her do so well. Her form tutor has commented on how well she balances her school work with her dance commitments.”

With lessons twice a week locally and in Crawley and practise at home most days, Sienna is now averaging around two hours every day with the aim of getting even better. She would love one day to be a professional dancer although she is aware that the opportunities for this are quite rare.

The Ace Academy has been established in Crawley, West Sussex, Bodle Street and Hertfordshire for over 15 years. The Champion Academy is run locally by Portia Langley and in the other locations by Andromeda Cunningham and Abigail Collins and is now one of the most successful schools in the world of Irish dance.  The Ace Academy aims to recognise and appreciate talent of all levels producing world-class dancers.  Irish dancing is a competitive sport requiring passion, hard work and determination.  The Academy is home countless titles such as National, European, All Ireland and World Champions as well as the majority of dancers placing in the top five at all major events.  The dancers all strive to achieve their full potential as well as making life-long friends.