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Naomi Smith, owner of Naomi Lou Studios, watches as Averi Jorgensen, 11, of Lehi, dances through a routine during a class held at Smith’s dance studio on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, in Pleasant Grove. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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MaryClare Callahan, of Vineyard, begins a dance routine beside Averi Jorgensen, 11, of Lehi, during a class held at Naomi Lou Studios on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, in Pleasant Grove. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Naomi Smith, owner of Naomi Lou Studios, watches as Penelope Hayes, 7, of Sandy, dances through a routine during a class held at Smith’s dance studio on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, in Pleasant Grove. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Patrick Zolo, 7, of Draper, begins a dance routine while encouraged by Naomi Smith, owner of Naomi Lou Studios, during a class held at Smith’s dance studio on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, in Pleasant Grove. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Averi Jorgensen, 11, of Lehi, begins a dance routine during a class held at Naomi Lou Studios on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, in Pleasant Grove. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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When Naomi Lou Smith was just a little girl, her mother wanted to help Smith and her twin sister connect to their Irish heritage. She decided to do so through dance.

Now, a journey that Smith started in her childhood has finally come to fruition as she recently opened up her own Irish dance studio in Pleasant Grove.

Initially, Smith’s journey began when her mom ordered some VHS tapes from Ireland that had an instructor teaching a few traditional steps, which she then taught to Smith and her sister before signing them up for dance classes with Maurenn McTeggart Hall, who immigrated to Los Angeles in the 1950s and started Irish dance schools throughout the western and central parts of the United States.

According to Smith, Hall told Smith’s mom her girls ought to compete — but at the time, there were no competitions in Utah. After a while, Hall herself relocated, leaving Smith and her family to fend for themselves when it came to dancing.

Eventually Smith and her sister just turned to dancing for fun with kids in their neighborhood, a group which soon grew into its own school that still runs today: Rinceoiri Don Spraoi, which Smith said translates to “dancing for fun.”

Dancing opened up several opportunities for Smith and her siblings to dance for the 2002 Winter Olympics and perform in Park City with the original fiddler for the Riverdance Irish dance troupe, among other performances.

“I performed on every stage probably here in Utah several times,” Smith said.

When Smith was 16, however, her family opted to explore other musical talents and start a family band. Life happened, and Smith became engaged to her husband and later gave birth to her first son, Dallen, and decided she wanted to get back into Irish dancing, with the goal of becoming a teacher.

“I started going back to classes. (Dallen) was still in diapers. … I started getting myself back into the conditioning of it all,” Smith said.

Then, on the morning of her very first regional championship performance since getting back into Irish dancing shape, Smith found out she was pregnant with her second son, Rorey.

“I was so sick on that stage,” she said.

After Rorey was born, Smtih went back to train, working up to the “open championship” level, which she said is the highest level of competitor in Irish dance. Qualifying as a mom of two, she said, was no easy feat.

“You have to be in almost every day practicing, an hour, two hours a day,” Smith said.

Once again, Irish dance has become a family affair, with both of Smith’s boys dancing. Dallen even became an open champion at the tender age of 10, after six years of dancing. Dallen turns 12 this month and his mom said he’s ranked 28th in the world for his age group, 11th in North America, and both Dallen and Rorey are ranked second in the western region for their age groups. Rorey is just a few years younger than Dallen.

“I think after just being in all the classes with Mom all those years, hearing the tunes, hearing the rhythms and watching it, both of them had just taken to it,” Smith said. “I never expected them to go as far as they have.”

The entire Smith family has traveled together to Scotland and Ireland for various competitions over the years, with Smith continuing to compete until three stress fractures in her left foot forced her to change direction and become a teacher instead.

But becoming a certified Irish dance teacher, even for someone with Smith’s extensive history and experience, is no walk in the park — or simple jig. It’s a rigorous, yearlong process made up of 12 different exams. Smith studied for a year to prepare to be tested on her musicality, dancing capability, as well as teach dancers she had never met and take a written examination.

Smith said Irish dance teachers even have to be able to sing traditional melodies at the drop of a hat.

“It’s very intense,” Smith said.

Smith barely failed one section of the intense process and had to wait another year to travel back to Ireland and test again. She finally passed in August 2018.

“You have to wait until the commission ratifies your results, and then they send you an email with one word,” Smith said. “Successful or unsuccessful. That’s all you get. You don’t get the scores, you don’t get answers to, ‘Well, what did I do wrong?'”

Smith told the man teaching her, 1998 “Lord of the Dance” Stephen Scariff, and her kids that she had passed, to which she said Scariff simply responded, “Welcome aboard.”

Smith has taught at the Sandy Scariff School of Irish Dance for the past year, and just a few weeks ago, opened her own studio in Pleasant Grove. The studio also houses a ballroom dancing team and offers fitness classes, and Smith said she’s already had calls from parents wanting to start their kids Irish dancing.

“It’s just getting the word out that we’re here,” Smith said.

Smith acknowledged Irish dance may not be for everyone because of how competitive it is.

“Irish dance is not an, ‘everybody gets a medal, everybody gets a trophy,'” she said. “It’s very clear(ly) defined who’s working hard and who’s not, and who’s willing to go the distance with their own goals.”

But the kids who are willing to put in the work, Smith said, are so proud of themselves when they accomplish their goals, and that’s why she loves to teach.

“These kids … they’re the hardest working kids I’ve ever met,” Smith said. “The girls support each other … I love that we have that camaraderie kind of built in with them.”

Smith also teaches an adult Irish dance fitness class Tuesday nights, which is also offered on the Freeplay fitness app.

“I’d like to expand in the future. I don’t know, maybe have more than one big studio,” Smith said. “We’re just going to see how it goes, and where it takes us.”

Learn more about Irish dancing and the other offerings at Smith’s studio by visiting http://naomiloustudios.com.