GIG HARBOR, Wash. — A Gig Harbor teen is now one of the top Irish dancers in the world.
17-year-old Kaden Scheller placed 12th in his division at the World Irish Dance Championships in Dublin.
He spoke to KIRO 7 News this week about his dedication to the dance.
“I was about eight and my twin sister actually started from watching one of the girls at our school and then my older sister soon followed ,” he said.
Kaden then followed in their footsteps – literally – after his mom signed him up for a class.
“I was just naturally good and got the hang of it pretty quick and advanced pretty quick and stuck with it,” Kaden told KIRO 7.
He qualified for the 2025 World Irish Dance Championships in November when he finished with a near-perfect score at another competition.
“Most people score in the 600s, and so to score 875 is pretty cool,” he told KIRO 7. “I was skeptical that I was going to win the competition that day, and finding out I almost got a perfect score was amazing.”
This is the fourth year that he’s qualified for the World Championships, but his first time placing.
He scored well enough in his first two rounds that he made it to the final one.
“My goal was to be able to recall, and so to be able to recall and perform my set was really exciting.”
What is recalling, you ask?
In Irish dance competitions, recalling refers to a special round where the top scorers, typically 50% of the dancers, are selected to perform a solo set.
“Being able to recall and perform my set was amazing. My teacher and I were really happy, and it was a really special moment,” he told KIRO 7.
The Bellarmine High School student is already training for his next competition. In July, he will fly to Washington, DC for the North American Nationals.
KIRO 7 asked if he plans to turn his dancing into a career someday.
“Eventually, I think I would like to go on tour with some professional group like Riverdance or Lord of the Dance. I think it would be really cool.”
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