Earlier this year we were approached for support by a talented young teenager who competes in Irish dancing here in New Zealand and around the world. We are all about the raw natural talent that so many teenagers in New Zealand possess and, well... we do come from an Irish family here at Oxygen so how could we not learn more about Eilish and her passion for the sport.
Eilish has danced since she was nine years old and now at the age of sixteen is traveling over to Dublin to compete in the Irish Dancing world championships, with her Dad as we speak. We are so excited to be following her journey as she travels around the world!
Eilish's dancing passion started in a ballet class but soon it became apparent that the upbeat atmosphere, the costumes, hair and make up of the Irish dancing world would steal her heart. Eilish trains three sessions a week at her dance school in Christchurch with a group of other dancers and also has a personal trainer two times a week who helps with her fitness, strength and conditioning to complement her dances - I (Liv) went along to one of these personal training sessions and decided i'd stick with my gentle strolls around the park!!
Eilish has had many accomplishments during her years dancing with national placings and international qualifications now leading her to this amazing opportunity competing in dublin, Eilish has shown large amounts of commitment and dedication to get where she is, along with Mum & Dad.
Eilish is in her second year of NCEA and has to focus extremely hard on finding a balance between school work and dance. With one pooch and three cats roaming around her house Eilish is passionate about animals and hopes to pursue something in the veterinary world one day so this balance at school & dance is extremely important in achieving this.
Eilish maintains a healthy diet (thanks Mum!) but can struggle with problematic skin at times. Being physical often and having sensitive skin means sweat can cause irritation on areas like the forehead, chest, back and arms. Eilish has recently started with her 2 in 1 cleanser, soothing moisturiser and blemish gel skincare routine and we are excited to see how this helps with the irritation she is getting.
Top tip: To help keep the skin happy after exercise we recommend always having a soft face cloth with you to give your face or irritated area a quick wash, ridding the excess sweat if you are not jumping straight into a shower.
We will be following Eilish's journey to Dublin and her pre-worlds fitness training in Belfast on our Facebook page & blog - come along with us for the journey and wish her luck!