A local dance group recently returned home from a Winnipeg competition with armfuls of medals.

On May 26, the DanceWorks Irish Dancers competed in the Celtic Division for the CRN Organization in Winnipeg for the second year in a row. They returned home with a total of fifty-six awards and two recommendations; fifty-three of those awards were solo medals, along with two second place team medals and one third place team medal.

"It's a little bit nerve racking at the start, but once the medals come out, you're very proud of yourself," said Brianna Bruce, a member of the Irish Dancers.

Under the instruction of Cathy Savage, the team of dancers practices and performs throughout the season between the months of September and May with their practices usually ranging from two and a half to three hours.

The dance group brings in dancers from all over southern Manitoba, including the Winkler/Morden area, Carmen, Somerset, La Riviere, and Miami, with the dancers being between the fourth and eleventh grade. The competition this year in Winnipeg brought in dance groups from all over Winnipeg and three from the USA.

"We did our St. Patrick's Day Cèilidh this year here at DanceWorks [Kenmore Theatre], so it got the girls on stage again, made them more comfortable, and the more they perform on stage the more comfortable they are at competition," said Savage.

Savage explained that she is excited to see what will happen next year and see what is in store for the group.