Kari Barile
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| Kari and I at Feis in the Desert in 2016 |
School: Penk O'Donnell
Age Group: U20
Region: Western US
Dressmaker: Eire Designs by Gavin
Dressmaker: Eire Designs by Gavin
How long have you been dancing? Nine years
Biggest Accomplishment? Becoming a world medal holder at the World Championships 2019 (12th)
Favorite Dance: Hornpipe!
Favorite Feis: The Great Britain Championships
Biggest Competitor: All of the amazing girls in the U20 age group!
How did you get started in Irish dancing?
Storytime... When I was younger I used to ride horses, and one day I fell off my horse and ended up breaking both of my wrists. After that, when we were looking for some kind of sport for me to get into, my mom found Irish dancing through a class offered at my school and thought it would be a great option since I couldn't use my arms, and we are Irish. I then entered competitive classes and fell in love with dancing. So, here I am now!
What do you do to prepare for Majors?
When I have a major coming up, I usually focus on getting a lot of rest, eating well and preparing my mind and body to be able to perform my best on the day. Along with this, I keep up my practice and training and try to focus on using my practice time as effectively as possible in order to make as many improvements as I can right before a major.
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| Kari at the World Championships in Greensboro 2019 |
Have you ever experienced a slump in results? What did you do to overcome it?
Yes, I have! When I was about 12 years old, I started to hit a bit of a roadblock and noticed my results were not going the way I wanted them to. I made a few changes to overcome it, one of those being switching to my current dance school. Once I made this change, I was able to learn to see the improvements that I needed to make in my dancing and had more resources to help implement them. I also began to look for new ways to work harder, focus more, and change my mindset in order to overcome the things that were holding me back. Since then, I have always used those same techniques to help keep myself on track, and I like to remind myself of the things I have had to work through in the past. It always makes the good moments worth it and keeps me inspired to work hard!
Who is your inspiration or motivation?
I am motivated by many people, but my biggest motivations are my dance friends and classmates, especially the younger dancers. I like to think of those around me, and their goals and motivations, and this inspires me to improve myself so that I can be a good example, leader, and inspiration to others. My dance teacher also motivates me and pushes me to do my best. Her belief in me makes me want to work even harder to accomplish our goals!
What is your biggest goal for 2020?
I have a few big goals for 2020, but the biggest among them is to maintain my World Medal Holder status from last year. Greensboro was my first time as a Medal Holder, and I would love to be able to experience that feeling again in 2020! I also hope to make the podium at the NAIDC and other majors as well.
What is your favorite place you have visited for dance?
This is a tough one, but I would have to say London, England. I spent some time there when in England for the Great Britain Championships, and loved everything about it!
How do you balance college and dance?
Sometimes it can be hard, but I try to balance school and dance by managing my time as best as possible, and by staying super organized. I try to get as much homework done as I can before heading to dance or on the weekends, and build my schedule around dance time and traveling so that neither thing suffers. When I travel overseas for majors, I try to turn in as many things as I can before I leave, so that I don't have a ton of schoolwork to focus on when I'm away. I always make sure to communicate with my professors so that they understand my situation. The most important thing for me has been making sure to hold myself accountable for my work in both dance and school, and managing my time wisely to keep myself on track.
You are an ambassador for Target Training. Tell us about that.
Target Training is an amazing program for dance specialized training. The online institute gives dancers a wide variety of workouts and skill training videos that allows dancers to build their own schedules and focus on the specific areas that they want to improve on. I have had great success with the program and am so happy to be able to be a Target Training ambassador. Ellen is a fantastic resource for all dancers and always offers support for everyone. I love the individuality that the online institute allows, and strongly believe in the values of the program and love sharing it with others. Check out the Instagram page @targettrainingdance!
What advice do you have for young dancers who want to medal at the world championships?
My best advice is to focus on yourself and your goals. Make a plan to achieve them, and remember why you are dancing. Remembering my love for dancing is something that has always helped me to keep working when things seem hard. No matter how tough things feel, just put your head down and keep working. On the other end, it will all be worth it! Dance for yourself, and because you love it!
What is your favorite thing about Irish Dancing?
There are so many things that I love about dancing, so I will give you a quick rundown of some of a couple of main things...
On the most basic level, I just love the hard work! I love that dancing allows me to have an outlet that I can put myself into. I enjoy practicing and pushing myself to be my best, finding new ways to train, and I love the lessons that dancing has taught me. I am also very thankful that it has allowed me to meet so many amazing people and taken me to so many amazing places! I am so glad that through dancing I have found my passion!
On the most basic level, I just love the hard work! I love that dancing allows me to have an outlet that I can put myself into. I enjoy practicing and pushing myself to be my best, finding new ways to train, and I love the lessons that dancing has taught me. I am also very thankful that it has allowed me to meet so many amazing people and taken me to so many amazing places! I am so glad that through dancing I have found my passion!
You can follow Kari on Instagram @karibarile
She also wants to add, "I love to answer questions and provide support to others, so please reach out to me on Instagram if you want to! I want to leave everyone with a reminder to dance because you love it, and don't be afraid of your goals! Anything is possible if you put everything you have into it. The best of luck to everyone in 2020, I hope it's an amazing year!"
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it".
-Margaret Thatcher
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