Lucky Leaps

Recent NA graduate is multi-time world champion

Lochlan Howard has been known as “Lucky” since he can remember, but it isn’t luck that has pushed him to the pinnacle of his craft. As an Irish step dancer, Howard has won six World Irish Dance Association Championships as an individual performer with four team titles to pair with them.

The New Albany High School class of 2023 graduate is one of the most decorated Irish step dancers in the country and his passion has only grown stronger through the years.

Howard’s first World Championship experience was back in 2015 after only dancing for three years. At a young age, Howard took home second place at the competition, something that he says he will never forget.

The following year, with a bit more understanding of the magnitude of the competition, Howard took home the World Champion title and has repeated in every World competition since.

Howard began dancing at age 7 with encouragement from his sister, Brooke, who’d already been dancing at The Academy Irish Dance Co. since he was young. The Howards frequented the Dublin Irish Festival which features some of the best Irish step dancers in the world. A lifelong passion was kindled during those summers in Dublin as Irish step dancing became somewhat of a family affair for the Howards.

“I’ve danced at the Dublin Irish Festival every year since I was 12,” Howard says.

Howard credits much of his success to The Academy Irish Dance Co. and his wonderful teachers. Located in Westerville, the academy migrated across the pond from England in 2011 to create its new home in central Ohio. Coach Byron Tuttle, an Ohio native, spent years in England before finding the call to return home and bring his successful academy with him.

Howard has been competing with the academy since 2013. His passion for dance has taken him across the country and even the globe.

“We do a lot of competitions, whether they are in Ohio or a neighboring state,” Howard says. “We’ve gone as far as Georgia for smaller competitions, we’ve gone to Ireland for compe- titions. The competitions are something that prepares you for if you want to become a dance teacher or if you want to be in a professional show at some point.”

With so much travel and practice honing his craft, Howard found a way to balance his schedule to succeed inside and out of the classroom. Due to travel, Howard has missed his fair share of days in the classroom. However, he works closely with his teachers to work around his busy schedule to fulfill his duties as a student as best he can.

“With teachers, if you are constantly communicating and being absolutely clear about everything, nobody has given me a hard time,” Howard says. “I think it’s just making sure you’re clear about what you’re doing because they end up becoming interested in it and do not mind at all.”

Howard finds himself lucky to have found such an incredible academy to work with. Numbers begin to dwindle in academies as students age out or become disinterested. The academy, however, has been able to keep numbers high and fill dance teams year after year in an effort to compete for team titles.

“Teams are something that not every dance school is fortunate enough to participate in,” Howard says. “I am so glad to have been a part of so many really good World-winning teams.”

Now that Howard has graduated from New Albany-Plain Local Schools, his future is in his hands. With numerous paths ahead, he is hoping to get into a traveling dance show. One of his biggest dreams is to join Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance production and traveling the world.

In 2019, current Lord of the Dance lead Macaulay Selwood returned to the academy to teach students some of the current routines. Howard was able to master the performance and showcase it at the Dublin Irish Festival.

“It was really cool to get that experience,” Howard says. “Doing those shows and being able to travel with it, how could I pass up that opportunity?”

Following a long break from competitions due to the pandemic, Howard says he cherishes his championship in 2022 a little more than he’d imagine.

“It felt extremely gratifying winning that one for having missed all that time,”

Howard says. “It made me think of how Olympic athletes take every four years, mine was just two, but it built up the anticipation.”

Howard remains humble and credits most of his success to his incredible teachers Edward Searle and Byron Tuttle.

“There’s no way I could have done any of it without them. They keep the discipline level perfect. There’s never a doubt when I am going to compete. I know exactly what to do with every single part of my day and every part of my dance,” Howard says. “There is nothing left to question for me.”