Back stage preparations always stay the same for John Lonergan, no matter where he is in the world. Right now, the decorated Irish dancer is in Winnipeg leading the show at the Celtic-Ireland Pavilion at Folklorama. "I've won the world championships six times for solos and then I’ve won four for eight hand Ceili teams as well, so ten in total," said the 23-year-old. Lonergan is the most accomplished dancer ever to perform at the pavilion. Coordinator Philip Brady, a successful Irish dancer in his own right, knew Lonergan was the perfect fit to lift the show to a new level of professionalism. "It's his carriage, it's his posture, it's his demeanor on the stage with his face,” said Brady. “It's the way he moves his feet, how fast he can move his feet, how high he can click his legs." Lonergan’s dancing over the first few nights has brought the crowd to its feet. "I'm definitely being tested here anyway because a lot of the things that I do in the show I wouldn't do normally,” he said. He’s also inspired the 55 young dancers sharing the stage with him. Lonergan says he sees them looking up to him, as he once did as a young lad. “We're all back stage all the time messing around doing little tricks and stiff and seeing what they can do.” Lonergan is a master at moving his feet and he said the Folklorama crowd is pushing him to new speeds, but not too fast. He said his choreography tells a story and every tap is important. "I feel like if the audience can't hear that, then they are missing out on something. So for me personally I prefer to keep it up but slower so people can hear it properly." Lonergan is a professional troop dancer with the famed production Riverdance since 2012. "It’s a complete dream come true. I always watched it and never ever thought I would even get near being in Riverdance." He hopes his solo experience here in Winnipeg will help him land a lead position, which he has an audition for in two weeks. "I now believe that I could hold a show myself whereas before I don't know if I would have. I wasn't given the opportunity really to be a lead in any show so far." That means Folklorama is his first shot at being front and centre and hopefully not his last. The Celtic-Ireland Pavilion is at the Fort Garry Curling Club located at 696 Archibald Street.
