Upstairs Neighbor Advances to Irish Step Dancing World Championship

TALLAHASSEE, FL– After a grueling competition season, renowned dancer Saoirse O’Brien advances to the Irish Dance World Championship, An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha 2026, in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Tallahassee local agreed to give the Eggplant exclusive insight into what her upcoming weeks of training look like.

As a hard shoe dancer, O’Brien explained that the physical training involves a rigorous calf routine. On a daily basis, O’Brien does what she calls the “deranged secretary.” For the exercise, she mimics the secretarybird, known for stomping on its prey, and attacks the ground with her foot until she begins to believe her leg has actually fallen off. Due to the current economic state, O’Brien saves money by rehearsing in her own apartment instead of renting out a dance studio.

O’Brien also teaches Irish dance virtually from the spare room in her apartment. As a performer and teacher, O’Brien explained the importance of rhythm and the percussive sound generated by the hard shoes the dancer wears: “The shoes themselves have fiberglass soles that are important for stamps and clicks.” The “stamps” and “clicks” refer to specific ways dancers powerfully strike the floor with their dense shoes to produce the loudest sound possible. Studies show that the noise produced can easily hit the 100 decibel mark– the same noise level as being barricade for an amateur DJ set or a leering construction worker’s jackhammer.

Given her busy schedule, O’Brien expressed that she often practices her routine throughout the night while on call with her choreographer, Beulah. Beulah is an 82-year-old woman living in Killarney whose own dance career ended tragically after sustaining an injury at the 1968 World Championship in Dublin. The injury in question was an ACL tear caused by her roundhouse kicking a British audience member who claimed Guinness was overrated. When asked for further comment, she screamed “up the ‘Ra” and hung up the phone. 

The path to victory is far from easy. O’Brien claims her rehearsal sessions are often disorienting due to the cacophony of noise echoing through her apartment. O’Brien said she plays her competition music at full volume while she listens to the scathing critiques Beulah screams from the video call. When the speaker’s volume isn’t enough to hear over the elderly woman’s hollering, O’Brien hires local musicians to play the music live, often having them perform in the hallway as her apartment gets cramped.

Although O’Brien’s sleep is irregular, she credits the majestic calls of sperm whales for offsetting her tinnitus. Doctors credit this ailment to constantly hearing Beulah’s screams, loud Irish jigs, and O’Brien’s own stomping. When asked about her greatest struggle, O’Brien cited her downstairs neighbors' occasional vacuuming, stating, “many people live in the building, and I think the considerate choice is to just sweep.”