By Brent LaLonde

Irish step dancing is not recognized as a sport, but the routines take just as much practice, dedication and stamina as more mainstream athletics.

However, step dancing will get some well-deserved recognition when a team of dancers from the Richens/Timm Academy of Irish Dance in Dublin performs at the Arnold Sports Festival. The festival runs March 6-8 at various locations throughout Columbus.

The dance group will perform at 1 p.m. March 8 on the EXPO Stage at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

“We will have a wonderfully choreographed show with lots of leaps and jumps and foot precision that is not found in any other dance,” says instructor Ann Richens. “Irish dancing is a very athletic form of dance. The energy and stamina is very high and has to be maintained throughout the dance.”

One of the local dancers gracing the stage at the festival will be Lyndsey Faherty, a Dublin resident and Bishop Watterson High School freshman. She knows all about the level of dedication step dancing takes.

Faherty has been Irish step dancing for 10 years with the Richens/Timm Academy, and she has a lot to show for her effort. She will perform at the World Irish Dance Championships in Philadelphia in April. It will be the 15-year-old’s fourth trip to the world championships.

“I have to practice three times a week, but I usually practice at my house on the other days,” she says. “I used to play the flute, I used to be a cheerleader and I also did ballet, jazz and was a gymnast. But I don’t do anything else right now except dance.”

The Arnold Sports Festival isn’t the only place giving Irish step dancing a little love. It is also getting a boost from a new television show called Superstars of Dance, which debuted on NBC in January. The show features a variety of dance forms, including Irish step dancing, and is hosted by Michael Flatley, the famed choreographer who made Lord of the Dance an international sensation.

About 18 graduates of the Timm/Richens Academy have toured with Lord of the Dance and Riverdance. Faherty says she would like to follow in their shoes.

“I would love to join a dance troupe some day, but I know that is really hard to get into,” she says. “But I do know that I want to do something around dancing, so maybe sports medicine or something like that.”

In addition to her trip to the world championships and her Arnold Sports Festival appearance, Faherty’s upcoming schedule includes the North American Irish Dance Championships (July 2-6 in Nashville) and a trip to Ireland in February to compete in another international competition. It will be her fifth trip to Ireland to compete.

“It is fun to go and travel overseas and see how different the dancing is over there,” she said.

Faherty’s best finish in the world championships was 28th in the girls 11-12 category four years ago. She will try to beat that in Philadelphia in April.

“You have to be 100-percent committed to compete at that level,” said Holly Faherty, Lyndsey’s mother. “It takes a lot of practice, not just one or two hours here and there but an every day commitment. You have to practice at least two hours a day to move up the ladder.”

Brent LaLonde is a contributing writer for Dublin Life.

For more information on The Arnold Sports Festival, including a complete schedule, visit www.arnoldsportsfestival.com.