Even as a toddler, Jessica Arthur knew what she wanted.
And her sister was the first to see her younger sibling's determination: at 18 months old, Arthur was glued to the television set when the Irish dancers in Riverdance performed.
"She said, 'What's wrong with Jessica? She's just staring at the TV,'" her mother, Leslie Wibberley recalled.
From then on, there was no going back.
Wibberley signed her daughter up for ballet and Highland dance, but she pouted.
At four and a half, Arthur took up the fiddle to satisfy her Celtic passion. But it wasn't until Wibberley registered her daughter in Irish dance that the girl's dream was fully realized.
"I picked her up after the first class and she was standing there, with her hands over her heart, saying, 'I've been waiting my whole life for this,'" Wibberley said with a laugh.
Her hard work has paid off.
To date, the Port Coquitlam teen has been in three national competitions and, later this month, she'll accompany 16 other dancers from her school, the Penk O'Donnell School of Irish Dance, to the 41st Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne/World Irish Dance Championships 2011.
The event, held at the Citywest Conference Centre in Dublin, Ireland, from April 17 to 23, will see about 4,500 participants from 32 countries and 15,000 of their supporters.
Arthur, a Grade 10 Riverside secondary student, will have about 150 competitors in her age group, for 15 year olds.
Arthur qualified last November after placing sixth in the Western Canada Championships and second in B.C. for her age category.
It will be Arthur's first time to the Worlds - and Ireland - and she's doing her best to gain an edge, she said.
Her long legs are tanned (she stands at 5'11" tall), her wig is styled and even more beads are being added to her $2,000 custom-made dress.
As well, she has spoken with her Riverside teachers to get homework for the plane ride so the "gifted but learning disabled student" doesn't fall behind with her studies, Wibberley said.
Arthur's mind also is focused on the first two rounds of the competition, which are hard and soft shoe dances.
The 150 or so dancers she's up against are ranked according to Irish points with the top 30 per cent recalled to the third round. The top 20 from the final round receive medals and, at this level, they have to be foot perfect.
Arthur will be in good company on her journey. Besides the 16 other Penk students participating - including six from the Tri-Cities (Megan Butzelaar, Marika Butzelaar, Megan Findlay, Kassidy Phelan, Meikaela Tumber and Eilidh Morrice-Ashdown), she'll have her parents and aunt in the audience to cheer her on.
And if she doesn't make it this time? Arthur shrugs. There's still the trip around Ireland, a visit to some pubs (which allow minors until a certain time) and a quick jaunt to Paris - not to mention the next world competitions: Belfast next year and Boston in 2013.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
