Diego is a Senior Men’s dancer in Queretaro, Mexico. He is 25 years old, insanely cut, and quite handsome might I add. He is a young entrepreneur just starting his own Irish Dance Dress Company. He’s beyond talented as an artist in all facets of the term. He’s a performing artist, visual artist, and musician – having just picked up the accordion.
As expected, when I ask him about his hobbies outside of dance, he tells me, “All of my life is centered around Irish dancing.”
Diego’s story about his entrance into the Irish dancing world is quite personal. He tells me Irish dancing was brought into his life due to his mother trying to help him manage the depression that was brought on from a friend’s accident. He says he was against it at the beginning, but she basically forced him into his first lesson. He was looking to become an Olympic salsa dancer, but his fiery passion now is for Irish dancing.
Diego has no plan of retirement at the moment, as it’s his goal to once again win the Oireachtas and place in the top of another major. He doesn’t only focus on his own accomplishments when I ask him about what he’s most proud of in his Irish dance career. He does mention being a 2x Oireachtas champion and tying with the world champion in his solos at the All Irelands, but he then affectionately mentions how much pride and joy he felt when the kids from his Mexico studio recalled at the Oireachtas for the first time.
Diego’s describes his journey in Irish dance as a rollercoaster. He has been dancing for eleven years now and can’t imagine his life with out it. He says it has molded him into the person he is today.
“My personality, my confidence, and my character are all formed from the lessons I’ve learned from Irish dancing”
He then proceeds tells me how great it feels when he’s dancing. He gives me goose bumps as he animatedly describes the feeling of power he gets when he’s trebling and the sensation of flying when he’s dancing the Reel. He makes me want to drop everything and drive straight to the studio just experience what it feels like. He also talks about how grateful he is specifically for his studio and the school that he is a part of. He says that “My teacher has taught me more than just dancing. My school has shown me what family means and how to become the best version of myself.”
I’m not crying, you’re crying.
As we all know, it’s not always celebrating at competitions, and Diego talks about how it’s been tough trying to manage the frustrations of training and dancing your best yet still not getting the results you’re hoping for. He also brings up an issue found by the Irish dancers of Mexico: the funding. The exchange from Pesos to Dollar is pretty low making it more expensive for the Mexican dancers. He wishes there were a way to make the sport more affordable for everyone which I’m not surprised to hear from him, as he wants others to share the love he’s found in Irish Dancing.
