Jan 30, 2018 6 min read

Max Malanosky can step it up with the best of them.

Max, a 16-year-old sophomore at Bethlehem-Center High School, qualified for the 2018 World Irish Dance Championships to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in March.

In November, he competed in the 2017 Oireachtas in Schaumburg, Ill., where he placed sixth and earned a spot on the world stage – not bad for a relative newcomer to Irish dancing.

“In seventh grade, I was into anthropology and Ireland came up,” he said. “I learned about the cultures, the island, history and dance forms. I got interested.”

After spending some time at his cousin’s house and watching videos of the parade champions at an Irish dancing competition, Max started watching more videos.

“And then I started dancing in the yard, the garage, anywhere, really,” he said. “My cousin (Sydney Janusey) had started to dance and I got an application form. From that point, I really wanted to start Irish dancing.”

Three months before his 14th birthday in 2015, Max began his quest.

He hasn’t stop moving or believing since.

“I just thought, ‘OK,’ ” said Angie Malanosky, Max’s mother. “He was trying something different. I felt, if it worked out, it worked out.”

Max, who trains and competes out of the Bell School of Irish Dance in Wexford, endured the three-month trial period while dancing at studios and schools, mostly north of Pittsburgh.

The family, which also includes his father George and 14-year-old brother, Chase, resides in Deemston Borough.

“Practice was so far away,” Angie said. “But he stuck with it. Max liked it so much, I was like, ‘This is so far away from home.’ But he loved it and although there was a lot of travel, I was excited that he found something he liked, motivated him and wanted to continue to learn about it.”

Angie and George admit Max’s stage is anywhere and everywhere – the grocery store, the house, on the street.

“He’s dancing all the time,” Angie said. “Everywhere we go … I told him he can’t do it on skis.”

That Max, who is 6-feet tall, is an adept and emerging dancer is no surprise to his parents.

He has worked hard, built his body and utilizes his athletic talent and ability. The bloodlines are in play, as well.

Angie and George met when both were ballroom dancing instructors for Arthur Murray in the Washington, D.C., area.

While George, a noted college and high school basketball official, shied away from talking about his dancing prowess, Angie recalled meeting her future husband when the franchise owner brought all his studios together one day.

“George came in from Gaithersburg (Maryland) and I came from Silver Spring (Maryland),” said Angie, who was also a tap dancer. “After being in D.C., we moved back to the area. We worked in downtown (Pittsburgh) together. It makes sense our son would not be afraid to dance socially. It’s pretty wild to have a boy grow up, looking for something that interests him, and he ends up being a dancer.”

Max, who also plays soccer and is a member of the track and field team for the Bulldogs, said he can get nervous while in competition. But he wasn’t jittery for the regional dance contest.

In Irish dancing, there are several levels: advanced beginner, novice, prizewinner, preliminary champion and open champion. Within each level are rules on how to move to the next level. In order to advance levels, dancers must attend multiple feiseannas – traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival – to compete against other dancers in their age group and level.

The young Malanosky will have to compete in soft shoe round (a Reel) and a hard shoe round (either Treble Jig or Hornpipe) – it alternates each year – at the world competition.

Max was able to compete in the regional competition after moving into the open champion level. There are seven regions in North America. He currently competes in the mid-America region.

“The weeks preceding the regional, I was very nervous and panicking about my steps and how they and I would look, because judges look for so many things,” he said. “But after our practice the night before, when I was nice, clean and presentable, I wasn’t as nervous. Before, I wanted to throw up.”

While his mom kept her expectations low and to herself, George was “awestruck” and nervous.

“It’s never easy watching your child perform,” he said. “You have no control. You pray for the best for them. I knew Max put in the work and the effort and I know he has talent. He shined when he needed to shine. It’s scary because you don’t really know what it’s about until you see it. When you see these dancers, their talent and their effort, it is unbelievable. It is some kind of athletic endeavor. Max is a physically gifted athlete and it comes across in his dancing.”

Angie, who will accompany her son to Scotland for the competition, which begins March 29, has studied the weather, hotels and culture.

“It looks like it will be chilly,” she said. “It won’t be too bad. It’s English-speaking. I will be with a very tall 16-year-old boy, who will stick out. It takes a great deal of courage to get up in front of people by yourself and perform, especially in a female-dominated endeavor. He loves it and I am happy he is able to share it.”

In the meantime, Max will stick with his normal practice routine of two-to-three practice sessions a week, with three hours of work for two days and a 45-minute private session on the third day.

“The practices will become more intense in the weeks leading up to the worlds,” he said. “It’s very exciting, to see the skill levels and the dancing of others and realize how good they are. It is pretty amazing. When I first started, it was so much fun to do the fast-moving feet and steps. I’ve learned different dances. I have fun doing the steps and performing in front of people.”