Irish dance expert served LDS mission to Ireland

BOUNTIFUL, Utah — Katie Register spent the last two years in Ireland, but today will be the first time she'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day since she left to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008.

"In Northern Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is just like any other day. The holiday is celebrated in the South, but I was in the North both years," she said.

At 25, Register is the youngest of three girls born to longtime Bountiful residents Glenn and Sharyl. Her Scottish-Irish roots prompted her to take classes in Highland, or Scottish, dancing. After seeing "Riverdance," Register, then only 12, called every dance studio in the area trying to find Irish-dance classes. Her efforts eventually led to her participation in one of the first certified Irish-dance programs in Utah.

A true pioneer of Irish dance, Register has seen the progression from heavy velvet costumes and real curls to lighter, more ornate costumes and precurled wigs. Register began dancing with Jill Crawford as a young teen and now teaches three classes a week at Crawford Irish Dance in Clearfield, one of the few certified schools along the Wasatch Front.

Read the full story via MormonTimes.com.