Emily Colangelo: “No Matter How Much I Have Won or Achieved, I’m Still Emily”

When Emily Colangelo first enters our Zoom call, she’s laughing as she playfully removes her fluffy Bichon Frise-Maltese pup, Bella, from her lap. After adjusting her camera orientation from vertical to horizontal, her backdrop explodes into a sea of trophies with waves of crested plaques and medals. When The Irish Dance Globe compliments her impressive display, Emily smiles and thanks us, radiating humility and charm.

For this 18-year-old dancer from the small town of Dungloe in North West Donegal, Ireland, these are more than just prizes and mantle decorations. They are artefacts of a journey that has built up to her first grand slam – first place positions in every major CLRG Irish dance competition in 2022, which is no easy feat for any dancer.

Even long before sweeps of sashes and ribbons became a regular weekend occurrence, Irish dancing was deeply rooted in Emily’s upbringing. “I was reared, literally, watching Riverdance on the TV,” Emily says. “I was just in awe of the music, the show, all of it.” Her mum was also a dancer trained in Belfast in the festival style, a form of Irish dance known for its emotion-driven, slower technique and individualistic performance style. She would lead Emily and her older brother, Thomas, up and down their hallway at home, teaching them the basics.

But Emily did not start formal Irish dance lessons until she was three-and-a-half-years-old. Her older brother Thomas, then six, brought her into class to keep her company, and that was the beginning of it all. “When the dance teacher called me up to the line to teach me, Thomas would stand beside me during the lessons,” she says. “He took me by the hand and brought me into the whole Irish dancing world.” Not long after, Thomas himself joined the class and now dances professionally, and is currently with a Taste of Ireland in Australia.

After starting out at a local dance school, Emily eventually transitioned to the McNelis Cunningham school of Irish dance where she currently trains and competes. From an early age, she established herself as a podium placer, though was consistently just shy of the top spot. “Coming in second is brilliant, but I had such a determination in me to finally win a major title,” Emily says. This fire within her was sparked not by a desire for laurels and recognition, but a drive to become a better dancer.

Honing this ethic first led to a turning point in her results when Emily was crowned the Ulster Champion in November 2017, a title she would go on to claim four more times. Not only was this her first major win, but it represented a culmination of years of learning from her ups and downs, listening to her teachers, and correcting her mistakes. Emily had another important breakthrough year in 2019, as she won her first All Ireland, Irish National, British National, and All Scotland championships, as well as her third Ulster title – not a bad year at all.

It was also the year that Emily claimed her first World Championship title. She laughs as she recalls that she danced her third round in Greensboro in a hall named The Aran Mhor, the same name as the island where Emily attended secondary school and also where her grandparents lived. Family was also at the core of this memory for another, more difficult reason. Six weeks before the World Championships, Emily’s dad was diagnosed with cancer and had to stay home to undergo surgery.

At the time, she couldn’t fully understand all the nuances of her dad’s condition because she was so focused on her training, while her mum also wanted to protect her from the upsetting details. “It was tough for us all,” Emily says, “and I went to Greensboro just wanting to dance my best, and I did.” Even all the way across the ocean, her dad was right behind her celebrating her victory. “My dad was watching the livestream at home, bawling his eyes out,” she says. “I remember the biggest hug I ever got from him when he came to meet us in Dublin airport.”

As much as this was an incredible milestone, Emily began to feel the true weight of her titles. It had taken her eight years just to win her first major, and suddenly she found herself intimidated by competing at such a high level. “I had been fighting for first place for so long, and I didn’t know what to fight for next. I didn’t know how to keep fighting to win,” she says. Rather than succumb to the stress, Emily channelled this pressure to search for a renewed mentality.

When COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 halted Irish dance classes and competitions, Emily seized this opportunity to get in touch with the fitness aspects of her training. In fact, right before the initial outbreak of the pandemic, she was on tour with the Reaching New Heights (RNH) On Demand training series with Lauren Early. Wasting no time at all, Emily started her own cross-training regimen with a local personal trainer. “When we came out of lockdown I had completely changed shape and I was stronger than I ever was,” she says. She continued to supplement her conditioning program with visits to a nutritionist, physiotherapist, chiropractor, and osteopath.

In addition to developing her physical strength, Emily also started meeting with a mindset coach to train in centering herself, cultivating a new dimension of mental toughness. “He really does help me get into that zone of thinking about the love I have for dancing, the reason why I do it,” she says. “I get such an amazing buzz out of performing on stage. I’m not thinking about which foot comes next; I just enjoy it.” This determination manifests itself in Emily’s striking dancing style, defined by intense precision, strength, and control.

Equipped with a new perspective, she entered the 2022 major competition season with a renewed spirit in her belly and fire in her feet – and her eyes set on the grand slam.

There were just seven competitions standing between Emily and the rare accolade. The first summit she needed to conquer was in fact the biggest, not unlike Mount Everest: this year’s World Championships in Belfast. However, her excitement to compete was shadowed by family loss. Just four days before Emily stepped out onto the World stage, her grandmother, who she fondly remembers as her number one supporter, passed away. “It was tough because your mind is already all over the place,” Emily says, “but I knew that nobody was putting that pressure on me to win again. I wanted to just go out and dance my best, for myself and for her because that was as much as I could do.”

With a heavy but empowered heart, she danced her way to a second World Championship title. While her friends, family, and teachers erupted into cheers around her, Emily turned in towards herself and sank into the moment. “When that result came out, I cried for five minutes solid; I couldn’t stop. It was so bittersweet.”

After the Worlds, Emily fuelled her winning streak with more titles in back-to-back months. She won the Irish National Championships in June, followed by the North American National Championships and British National Championships in July. She also bagged a first-place title from the All Scotlands Championship at the beginning of October followed by The Great Britain Championships just two weeks later. This was her first time winning the Great Britains as she had been unable to compete for the title in years past due to her teachers judging at the competition.

When Emily finally arrived at the 2022 Ulster Championships in Ballybofey, Co Donegal at the beginning of November, she was still riding the high of her latest victory. Though she went into the Ulster’s with a strong head, the prospect of a grand slam was niggling away in the back of her mind.

Emily found herself back in the shoes of her younger self, the little girl that grew up glued to the television during the Wimbledon tennis championships (when she wasn’t watching Riverdance, of course). “From the day I set eyes on Serena Williams winning her grand slam, I always knew I wanted one of those someday,” she says. Suddenly, this was more than a childhood fantasy – a grand slam of her very own was just within her grasp.

As Emily stood side stage waiting to dance her hornpipe, she turned on her tunnel vision and locked into a performance mindset. “Before I go on stage I always think of myself already being successful,” she says. “I like to visualise the whole dance from start to finish so I’m absolutely certain going on stage.” After following up with her reel and Planxty Davis rounds, Emily was crowned the Ulster champion that night for the fifth time, officially sealing her grand slam in gold. “I couldn’t believe it. To have achieved something like Serena has is just so amazing.”

Emily has not only achieved a massive athletic feat, but also fulfilled a lifelong passion project. Nevertheless, she doesn’t take anything for granted. “People have always said I have natural talent, but hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard, and that’s something that I’ve lived by my whole life,” she says. “I think staying humble and modest is the best way to be. No matter how much I have won or achieved, I’m still Emily.”

She also recognises that it takes a village to make the dream a reality. “Behind the scenes, it’s the teachers who put in the hard work, it’s your family who have to support and encourage you all the way,” she says. “I cannot thank them enough. They’ve given up so much of their time and have run around the world for me.”

When we ask what’s next on her horizon, Emily beams with a smile that hungers for more. She says she would love to pursue a professional Irish dance career in the future, having participated in the Riverdance Summer School in Dublin this past August. In fact, one of her greatest sources of inspiration is Riverdance lead Amy-Mae Dolan, who offered her some salient advice that she’s taking with her into the next stage of her dancing journey. “She’s told me many times before that my potential is limitless, and that’s exactly what I would tell any younger dancer to this day,” she says.

“Set your goals and stick to them and don’t let anything get in the way, but most of all, enjoy the process.”

Follow Emily on Instagram.