For dancers across the United States, the 2020 regional Oireachtas season was a celebration of the Irish dance community coming together on a large-scale since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Jordyn Osmond had another reason to celebrate at this recent major. The 19-year-old dancer took the stage at the Mid-American Oireachtas only 100 days after finishing her chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Jordyn started dancing at the age of three in various styles before finding her home in Irish dance during middle school. Since then, she has been an active member of Celtic Steps in her hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In addition to dancing, she also teaches classes at her studio, all while balancing a summer lawn mowing job with her dad and nursing studies at South Dakota State University (SDSU).
“Not doing something I loved for so long was so hard.”
Jordyn OsmondLeading up to her diagnosis in February 2020, Jordyn had been practically asymptomatic except for lumps. In fact, she was still actively attending dance class until the week before the news came. “It was hard for me to hear,” Jordyn says, “and I think it was also hard for all my friends at dance to hear as well.” Between dancing, teaching classes, and helping at the studio’s summer camp, Jordyn was an integral member of the Celtic Steps community. It was a difficult adjustment for everyone involved. The harsh physical toll of chemotherapy left her unable to dance throughout the process. Her diagnosis also coincided with the early days of the Coronavirus outbreak in the United States, which meant that she couldn’t even visit the studio through her treatment.
Although Jordyn couldn’t be there in person, her second family at Celtic Steps made sure she always felt included. Along the way, her main instructors, Aisling and Shaun Casey, were incredibly supportive, constantly checking in with her over the phone to see how she was making progress in her treatment. Within a week of diagnosis, she also received a whole box full of notes from the students she worked with. She says that one of her favorite students wrote her a particularly inspiring note that put everything into perspective: “I’m going to work harder to show you when you get back.”
“That was really hard for me to deal with emotionally, just realizing that I would have to work ten times harder than I ever did before because I had lost so much.”
Jordyn Osmond
Within three weeks of finishing chemotherapy, Jordyn was able to fully return to dance. “As soon as I was done, I wanted to get started right away,” Jordyn says. “Not doing something I loved for so long was so hard.” She relied heavily on the support of her teachers and dance friends to ease her back into the sport, but was also motivated by the presence of a larger goal to work towards: the Mid-America Oireachtas. “I was so grateful that Oireachtas was still happening. I think it would have been really hard not to have something to look forward to right away getting back into dance.”
With her sights set on competing, Jordyn began her 100-day journey. Her progress was not linear, filled with vacillating high and low moments. Understandably, Jordyn experienced more lows in the beginning. “I found myself realizing how much skillset and strength I had lost,” she says. “That was really hard for me to deal with emotionally, just realizing that I would have to work ten times harder than I ever did before because I had lost so much.” Nevertheless, this did not shadow her light at the end of the tunnel.
“This time was so different, the feeling of being on stage after everything that I’d been through was just amazing.”
Jordyn Osmond
The weeks leading into Oireachtas presented more high moments for Jordyn, as she regained her skills, strength, and stamina. In fact, one of the biggest markers of her growth and progress was something that we typically dread to hear during Irish dance class: dancing a full round. “I loved being able to do the dance all the way through and not feel like I was exhausted,” Jordyn says. “It was actually fun again to be able to dance.”
The 2020 Mid-America Oireachtas served as a culmination of training unlike any other past major. “I usually get too stressed out before competing that I tire myself out,” Jordyn says. “This time was so different, the feeling of being on stage after everything that I’d been through was just amazing. I was just so happy to be dancing that I never felt tired.” Even though she missed out on a recall this time, her performance meant more than just a placement. “I just wanted to be able to prove to myself that I could work hard and be able to dance.”
Jordyn also got to debut her new solo dress made especially for this Oireachtas. Designed partly by Gavin Doherty of Eire Designs and her instructor Aisling, the dress is a visual expression of her journey before Oireachtas. Gavin was more than willing to bring her vision to life, even getting on Facetime calls with Jordyn within the week of first contact. The dominant color of the dress is purple, which reflects the Hodgkin’s Lymphoma ribbon. The cancer ribbon detail appears in the cape as well as throughout the embroidery. Above all, this dress is a lasting symbol of Jordyn’s resilience. “I wanted a dress to show the journey that I went through, something that I can show that off and hopefully inspire other people.”
Jordyn has done just that, though she still has a hard time wrapping her head around the idea of being an inspiration throughout the Irish dance community. “That’s just crazy for me to hear,” Jordyn says. “I hope that I am a good role model.” In reading the comments on her viral Instagram post, Jordyn has encountered mothers of other dancers fighting cancer. They use the image of her dress as motivation and inspiration for their own daughters returning to dance. “Even kids that are so much younger than me have to go through this battle as well,” Jordyn says, “and I hope that I can be an influence for them, to show them that when they come back, they can do it.”
“I just wanted to be able to prove to myself that I could work hard and be able to dance.”
Jordyn Osmond
As of September 2020, Jordyn is officially done with chemotherapy treatment, although she has regular scans every three months. Her online classes with SDSU also allow her more time in the studio for teaching and dancing. Now that this Oireachtas is done and dusted, Jordyn has shifted her focus towards training for the upcoming U.S. Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona, working with Athletic Republic Training to develop her own regimen of sprints, running, and plyometrics.
Even though she is back on the major competition circuit, Jordyn has not lost sight of her long-term Irish dance goals. In the coming years, she plans to finish the remaining CLRG Grade Exams, a process she started before her diagnosis. Once she has the TCRG certification, she wants to open her own studio and expand Irish dance opportunities in her hometown.
When asked how she finds the strength to continue her passion, Jordyn says it all comes down to self-belief, and not comparing yourself to others. “In Irish dance, there is not one set group of people that you see. You see all sorts of people that are so different all doing this one thing that you love.” No matter what has happened in the past, and regardless of the hardships that obstruct the present, Jordyn firmly believes that this love is at the core of overcoming adversity. “If you truly love doing it, you shouldn’t let anything stop you. You can’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.”
Follow Jordyn on Instagram.
