45°
Mia and Alannah Raghavan, 8, are in their third year of Irish Dance classes at the Jig Factory in Ridgewood.
Their mom, Una Raghavan -- a Cork, Ireland native -- competed in the All Irelands in the 1980s. Their father is of Indian descent.
"They love Irish dancing," Una told Daily Voice.
"They love going to the classes and the friendships they've made with the other girls."
Mia and Alannah began competing last year, their first feis the Mid-Atlantic Championships in February 2017.
The girls have competed at several smaller feiseanna since then, but most recently took home awards at the Mid-Atlantic Championships last month.
Alannah came in first and Mia came third in the intermediate championship
"They enjoy competing and getting a taste of the podium when they win," Una said.
The girls happen to share the same favorite dance: The single jig, their mom said.
The single jig is a less common dance done in ghillies -- soft shoes.
The focus this month will be mainly on St. Patrick's Day but as soon as the holiday passes, all efforts will be going to May recital preparation.
Una misses dancing and says seeing the happiness it brings her girls sometimes makes her want to get up and dance again, too.
"I'm getting my second wind watching the kids dance," she said. "But my legs don't cooperate as much as they did in the 80s.
"It's still very fun to watch."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Highlands and receive free news updates.
