A message from our founder: Maggie Wilkins

I remember my "last" Eastern Canadian Oireachtas in 2005 well. I decided that would be it. I was over the commuting back and forth from college to the dance studio, my body ached, I yearned for a normal social life and I was fed up with my results. That Oireachtas was my least successful since I started and I had to come to terms that I was leaving the Irish Dance community, not with a bang but a fizzle. My heart was broken. I was putting the passion I put every waking hour thinking of behind me.

After a couple years in college where I focused on other types of dance, followed by a few years of a complete dance hiatus, I returned to the dance studio but this time I was a recreational student. Or at least that's what my intention was.

As an ex-Championship level dancer I had two options, join an Adult beginner class or dance in classes filled with kids and teens who were training for majors. Quickly realizing that working on simple skip 2,3s and Ceili dances wasn't going to fill the void, I decided to join the competitive group. Suddenly I was whisked away into training 5 days a week, spending way too much of my own money on a dress, travelling to majors and investing every spare minute of my day into dance.

I don't regret competing again. I was able to accomplish so many of my goals that I couldn't quite reach as a teen, but I realized there was a huge void in the Irish Dance community. I knew there must have been more dancers out there just like me, kids of the Riverdance generation who didn't want to leave their love for dance behind. They just didn't want to compete anymore.

This is when the idea of the Retired, Not Tired class popped into my head. After receiving the blessing from Patricia Gilchrist, owner of the studio I was dancing out of, I headed to Facebook and Instagram to recruit as many retired dancers I could. We started off small but grew each term, eventually becoming independent, without school affiliation and renting our own studio space.

I am forever grateful for my dance journey. Although bumpy at times, I've been blessed with a group of friends who share my passion and keep me on my toes (literally).

Keep Dancing,

Maggie