Know Your Competition

                                                                        

 Joey Rougas

Joey at Nationals 2013 

I met Joey about a year or two ago at a competition through my California dance friends, Ava Montali and Alexis McBride. Joey is one of my biggest competitions and a great friend even if he lives far away! 

Name: Joey Rougas
 Age group: U13
Region: Western US 
Dance School: Clan Rince School of Irish Dance 
Level: Open Championship
Vest maker: Elevation Design
Set: Ace and Deuce of Pipering
Soft shoe maker: Rutherford
Hard shoe maker: Rutherford
Hard shoe vs. soft shoe: Hard Shoe

What is your favorite hard shoe dance? Why? Hornpipe because it's faster, sharper, and more precise. Also, I always seem to place better when I am hornpipe

What is something you are working on to improve your dancing? Pointing my toes (It's getting better!) And getting up off my knees

Biggest Accomplishments: Winning Oireachtas 4 times in a row, 7th at NAN'S 2013, and 20th at World's 2012!

I know you have won your region. How does that feel?  It's awesome to stand there atop the podium and know you're top dog! But it also inspires me to work harder because you know that everybody in your competition is out to get you. It's one thing to get to the top, it's a whole 'nother thing staying there:)

Advice for people who qualified for worlds for the first time: Have fun and dance the best possible you can. Leave everything out on the stage!! But most of all, enjoy every moment, because you never know what will happen next year. Take it from me!

What do you do leading up to a major? I try to practice every day and just do my entire dance once a day.  That seems to help me keep my stamina up. The day of the competition I eat a light breakfast and make sure I'm very stretched out and warmed up. Also, do some leg lifts and jumpees backstage because the nerves and excitement of finally being backstage can cause you to get sidetracked.

How long have you been dancing? 7 years
How long have you been Irish Dancing? 7 years
Why do you like Irish Dancing? The music, the friends, and at this point, I'm kinda stuck with it :)

What advice would you give to other boys that want to dance but are afraid to because they might be teased? Um... You're in dance classes 4-5 times a week in a room full of teenage girls. Why would you not wanna do this?
 I've never been teased, but if you are teased, just show them what you can do.

Who inspires you? Why? Joe Bitter because he gave up all he knew for dance. And his set dances are amazing!!
Favorite dancer? Joe Bitter.
If a movie maker chose you to make Jig 2, what other dancers would you pick to
co-star in it? Hmmmm, maybe Ronan Kelly, Niamh Neale, Keeva Corry, Shannon Bradley, Melanie Valdes............

Do you do any sports outside of Irish dance? I do some running but other than that, no.

How do you balance school and dance? Most of my classes are after school but for majors, I talk to all of my teachers before I leave so I can get all of my work and then I do it throughout the trip. Also, organization helps. I come out with straight A's!

Goals for the rest of this year and next year: To recall in at least one of my rounds at All Ireland's, win Oireachtas, and get top 5 at NANS's.

Do you plan to do Irish dancing for a living? If so, How? (Dance teaching, Riverdance, Tap Tronic,etc.)? I don't know but I have considered teaching.

Joey's photo on Instagram. Give him a follow on @joeyrougas

 "It's one thing getting to the top, it's a whole 'nother thing staying there" -Joey Rougas