Grayson Solan ’27 taps into love of dance and family heritage
Hours of dedicated practice and precision skill – as well as a bit of Irish luck – will send Grayson Solan ’27 to both the World Championships of Irish dance, Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, in Dublin in April and the North American Championships in Washington, DC, in July.
Grayson, who plays varsity soccer and is in the orchestra at Cheshire Academy, placed sixth at the New England Regional Oireachtas, qualifying for both events in 2025.
“I will do two dances on the world stage and, if I finish in the top half, I will do another dance,” he said of the April 16 event. “It’s the highest level of competition in Irish dance and I will be competing for a world title.”
The Wallingford resident started dancing about eight years ago, after seeing Irish dancers at Disney World’s Raglan Road.
“They have Irish dancers perform while people eat,” said Grayson, who dances with Mulcahy Academy of Irish Dance. “I thought what they were doing was super cool, and I went home and looked into it. I tried out a class and instantly fell in love with it.”
The lightning-fast style speaks to his family heritage. “Since I am Irish, I love researching my culture, and I found Irish dance a great way to combine my love for dance with my culture.”
His favorite part of Irish dance is spending time with friends and meeting new friends from all over New England. While it’s challenging to juggle his coursework and rehearsals with downtime for himself, Grayson credits his trainers and CA teachers and staff “who have helped push me to my highest level and have always cheered me on.”
Want to watch Grayson at Worlds? Here’s the pay-to-stream link: https://www.feistv.com/products/the-clrg-world-championships-2025
