WATCH: This Kelowna dancer is looking to make his mark on a world stage

• Danté Grootjes will be competing at a world championship for Irish dancing in April.
• He is fundraising to help pay for the flights, a hotel, and food while overseas

One Kelowna teenager is ready to make his mark on the global stage.

Danté Grootjes is gearing up to compete at the Irish dancing Oireachtas Rince Na Cruinne (world championships) in Belfast in April.

The Irish dancer, who studies at the Blakey School of Irish Dance Okanagan, qualified for the event after winning the regional competition and coming in second place in the Canadian National Irish Dance Championships.

“It was pretty exciting,” he said. “It’s been a dream since I was five and just started dancing. To finally have the dream come true is a pretty big deal.”

With no Irish decent in his family, he was a bit skeptical at first if the style of dance was something he wanted to pursue. But he always found himself drawn back, despite stepping away at times.

“Dance is that one thing where I just go back to no matter how many injuries or how many breaks I need, I still go back to it,” he said. “I’m still always trying to improve something that I’ve been yelled at on before to improve on.”

He spoke praise of his mentor, Rochelle Hoffmann, who was one of his first teachers and has been with him through significant competitions.

“It’s pretty cool to have that first older dancer mentor to take me to my first across the seas competition,” he said. “She was there for my first nationals, and regionals, so it’s pretty cool to have her for my first worlds, too.”

While he wants to pursue Irish dancing professionally when he graduates, he hopes to give back to the dance community, and be a guide for young male dancers.

“I want to provide that experience for someone younger than me because I never got that and I always grew up being the only boy in the studio," Grootjes said. “I want to spread the word that it’s normal for a guy to be doing Irish dancing. There’s so few of us, I would like to see more join in the future.”

Heading overseas isn't cheap, and Grootjes is fundraising to help make it a reality. He hopes to raise $7,000, which will cover flights, a hotel, and food. Details can be found by contacting grootjesk@gmail.com.