Elise Miklos: Taking on the world of Irish dance

Ashley Broski, Contributing Writer|May 11, 2023

With her first place sash and trophy, sophomore Elise Miklos remains passionate about Irish dance. Her talent and hard work are a winning combination as she looks to future competitions.

The weekend of April 8, 2023, sophomore Elise Miklos traveled to Montreal, Canada. When she returned home, she was one of the 10 best Irish dancers in the world after placing 9th overall. Competition was fierce as 150 young dancers all challenged Elise in multiple rounds, and with each performance came a chance of elimination.

Elise began Irish dancing in kindergarten as an after school activity, and it soon became her passion. In 2016, Elise began training at her current studio, The Academy, and has been there ever since. Behind her victory comes many hours of training, hard work, and dedication. A week in Elise’s life includes over 10 hours of practice. In addition to training locally, she also travels to Columbus 2-3 times a week for more intensive training with her coaches to prepare for solo performances and group dances.

Elise stated, “Balancing class work and dance can be difficult, and it definitely requires effort and devotion.” She also described the pressure that comes with reaching a certain skill level: “There is a lot of stress trying to keep your title and continuing to perform well.” Despite those challenges, Elise added, “It is all worth it in the end when I reach my goal.”

Irish dance has been a part of Elise’s life since she was young. The years have taken her from beginning in local dance schools to international competitions.

Dancing has also provided Elise many exciting opportunities to travel the world. Competitions and performances have taken her to Scotland, Montreal, Vancouver, London, Ireland, Nashville, Las Vegas, New York City, Washington, DC., and Orlando. She loves traveling and the opportunities it provides to experience other cultures and to make friends overseas. Elise shared that she especially enjoys, “Traveling and making memories with my teammates.” Finally, her greatest satisfaction from dance is “knowing that all the hard work pays off.”

After high school, Elise plans to take a gap year before college. During that time, she aspires to travel with Lord of the Dance or River Dance. Eventually, she hopes to earn her teaching license and one day teach other young dancers at her studio. Wherever her Irish dance career takes her, Elise definitely has a bright future ahead.