Laura Nolan

Last updated
Laura Nolan
Born (1994-05-31) 31 May 1994 (age 29)
Occupation(s) Dancer
Choreographer
Known for Dancing with the Stars (Irish series)

Laura Nolan (born 31 May 1994) is an Irish ballroom dancer and choreographer.

Contents

Early life

Nolan was born in Lucan in Dublin. She is trained in ballroom, latin and ballet dancing. [1]

Professional career

Nolan first began dancing competitively at the age of five when she competed in the All Ireland Championships in June 1999 with her first partner, Luca Mastropietro. The couple reached the quarterfinals of their first championship. [2] [3]

From 2009 to 2013, Nolan danced with English dancer, Stanislav Wakeham. [4]

From 2015 to 2019, Nolan danced with Italian dancer, Alessandro Bosco. [5] In 2018 they finished in first place in the World Open Adult Standard at the Bacau Dance Open tournament. [6]

Nolan was a finalist in the Under 21 World Championship, placing amongst the top ten in the world. In 2018, she and Bosco ranked fifth in the World Open. Nolan has won numerous International Open championships and was a finalist in the German Open. Making her the first Irish dancer to compete in the World Championships. [1]

In 2019, the couple announced their retirement from ballroom dancing. [7]

Media career

In 2020, Nolan was crowned Miss Universe Leinster. She went on to take part in the Miss Universe Ireland competition where she reached the top three. [8]

In 2021, Nolan appeared as a contestant in the celebrity version of the RTÉ programme, Hell Week. [9] [10]

Dancing with the Stars

In November 2019, it was confirmed that Nolan would be joining the cast of the Irish series of Dancing with the Stars as a professional dancer. [11] [12] [13] She was paired with television presenter and Big Brother winner, Brian Dowling. They were eliminated in the seventh week of the competition. [14]

In 2022, Nolan partnered former Love Island contestant, Matthew MacNabb. Despite receiving some of the lowest scores from the judges throughout their time on the show, Nolan and MacNabb reached the semi-final of the competition, finishing in fifth place. [15]

In 2023, Nolan partnered comedian, Kevin McGahern. [16] Nolan once again reached the semi-final of the competition with McGahern and finished in fifth place, following their dance-off against Suzanne Jackson and Michael Danilczuk.

In 2024, Nolan partnered Fair City actor, Shane Quigley Murphy. They were the third couple to be eliminated from the competition. Nolan also partnered former jockey Davy Russell in week two when Russell's usual partner, Kylee Vincent, was ill, meaning she performed two dances on that particular edition of the show. [17] [18]

SeriesPartnerPlace
4 Brian Dowling 8th
5 Matthew MacNabb 5th
6 Kevin McGahern 5th
7 Shane Quigley Murphy 9th

Highest and Lowest Scoring Per Dance

1 This score was awarded during Switch-Up Week.

Performances with Brian Dowling

Week No.Dance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResult
RedmondBarryBenson
1 Salsa / "Juice"55616No elimination
2No dance performed----
3 American Smooth / "Dance Monkey"67720Safe
4 Charleston / "Fat Sam's Grand Slam"66618Safe
5 Cha-Cha-Cha / "We Are Family"56617Safe
6 Waltz / "Open Arms"88925No elimination
Switch-Up Week with Ryan Andrews
7 Tango / "When Doves Cry"55515Eliminated

Performances with Matthew MacNabb

Week No.Dance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResult
RedmondBarryGourounlian
1No dance performed----No elimination
2 Viennese Waltz / "Dangerously"35513
3 Jive / "Overpass Graffiti"34411Safe
4 Foxtrot / "You've Got a Friend in Me"56617Safe
5 Salsa / "X"45514Safe
6 Contemporary Ballroom / "See You Again"89926No elimination
Granted immunity
7 Cha-cha-cha / "Dynamite"44412Immune
8 Paso Doble / "Live and Let Die"77822Safe
9 American Smooth / "Anyone for You"77822Safe
10 Tango / "Rio"
Team Dance / "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"
7
9
8
10
8
10
23
29
Safe
11 Samba / "One Dance"
Bust-a-Move Marathon / "I'm So Excited"
7
Awarded
7
1
7
point
21
22
Eliminated

Performances with Kevin McGahern

Week No.Dance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResult
RedmondBarryGourounlian
1 Viennese Waltz / "You Know Me"66719No elimination
2 Jive / "Reet Petite"77721
3 Tango / "I Don't Like Mondays"56617Safe
4 American Smooth / "Pure Imagination"77721Safe
5 Cha-cha-cha / "Canned Heat"67720Safe
6 Paso Doble / "Smells Like Teen Spirit"88824No elimination
7 Quickstep / "Lust for Life"89926Safe
8 Foxtrot / "Rocket Man"88824Safe
9 Salsa / "Stay with Me"
Team Freestyle / "Crying at the Discoteque"
7
8
8
10
8
10
23
28
Safe
10 Charleston / "Cotton-Eyed Joe"
Marathon / "I Want Candy"
9
Awarded
9
1
9
Point
27
28
Eliminated

Performances with Shane Quigley Murphy

Week No.Dance/SongJudges' scoreTotalResult
RedmondBarryGourounlian
1 Salsa / "Where Did You Go?"66719No elimination
2 Waltz / "At This Moment"67720
3 Jive / "All These Nights"88824Safe
4 Quickstep / "Mr. Blue Sky"77721Safe
5 Rumba / "How Will I Know?"66719Eliminated

Personal life

In March 2022, Nolan confirmed that she was in a relationship with her Series 5 celebrity partner, Matthew MacNabb, following their elimination from the show. [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karina Smirnoff</span> American professional ballroom dancer

Karina Smirnoff is a Soviet-born American professional ballroom dancer of Ukrainian origins. She is known as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, where she won the thirteenth season with army veteran and soap opera star J. R. Martinez. She has also won two runner-up titles, a semifinal title, and several quarterfinal titles.

Kylie Jones is a British professional ballroom dancer. She was the 2000 and 2001 World Ballroom Champion, the 2001 European Ballroom Champion, the 2000 and 2001 Open British Ballroom Champion, and the 2000 and 2001 United Kingdom Ballroom Champion.

Daniella Karagach Pashkova is an American dancer. Karagach and dance partner Leonid Juashkovsky are three-time United States junior I and II Latin champions. They were the 2007 junior II 10 dance champions. Abroad, they reached the finals in the Celtic Classic, Moscow Open and Barcelona Open. Karagach and Juashkovsky were the United States representatives to the World Championships in Latvia, Russia and Barcelona. They appeared on seasons 2 and 3 of America's Ballroom Challenge on PBS. After Leonid, she paired with Pasha Pashkov, with whom they won numerous US and world championships, including, National titles in Latin, Ballroom, 10 dance and showdance. They won the Rising Star championships in Blackpool,UK Open and UK Open 10-dance. She became a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars in 2019, when she was paired up with Nelly. She went on to win her first Mirrorball trophy in with celebrity Iman Shumpert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabienne Liechti</span>

Fabienne Liechti is a Los Angeles based professional ballroom dancer and choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Slater</span> British and American dancer

Emma Slater is a British and American professional dancer and choreographer. She is known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars.

Joanne Kirsty Clifton is an English professional dancer, presenter, actress, and singer. She won the World Ballroom Showdance Championship in 2014, and won the European Professional Ballroom Championship and World Dancesport Games. She was a professional dancer on the BBC TV series Strictly Come Dancing from 2014 to 2016, winning the Christmas Special in 2015 with Harry Judd who was series 9 champion and the fourteenth series in 2016 with Ore Oduba. She also appeared as an expert presenter on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two in 2015 and 2019.

Jessica Raffa is an Australian ballroom dancer known for appearing on Australia's Dancing with the Stars. She won Series 13 of the televised dance competition with celebrity partner Cosentino. Before competing on Dancing with the Stars, Raffa toured with the dance show Burn the Floor.

Loraine Barry is a former professional dancer and also known for her role as Head judge on the RTÉ One series, Dancing with the Stars.

Kai Widdrington is an English dancer and choreographer. In 2010, he was the Junior World Latin American champion. In 2012, he reached the final of the sixth series of Britain's Got Talent. Between 2017 and 2020, he was a professional dancer on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars, and in 2021, he became a professional dancer on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing.

John Nolan is an Irish dancer and choreographer. He is an Irish national ballroom and showdance champion. Nolan is known for being a dancer on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars.

Ryan McShane is a Northern Irish dancer and choreographer. He, alongside his professional partner, Ksenia Zsikhotska, were the 2016 United Kingdom & British Latin Professional Champions and British Show Dance Champions. He is also known as being one of the professional dancers on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars.

Ksenia Zsikhotska is a Ukrainian dancer and choreographer. She is best known for her role as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars. She, alongside professional partner, Ryan McShane, were the 2016 United Kingdom & British Latin Professional Champions & British Show Dance Champions.

Pasquale La Rocca is an Italian dancer and choreographer. Best known as former Italian Ballroom and Latin Champion, La Rocca joined the second series of the Belgian version of Dancing with the Stars and successively participated in the Irish version of the show and most recently the Italian version, Ballando con le Stelle, which he won for two consecutive years.

Stephen Vincent is an English dancer and choreographer. He is a former UK Latin Champion.

Kylee Vincent is a South African dancer and choreographer. She is a former UK Latin Champion.

Hannah Kelly is an Irish ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer.

Ervinas Merfeldas is an Irish ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer.

Maurizio Benenato is an Italian ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer.

Montel Hewson is an Irish ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer and World Youth Under 21 Latin Champion with his partner, Jillian Bromwich.

Jillian Bromwich is an Irish ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer and World Youth Under 21 Latin Champion with her partner, Montel Hewson.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dance like the stars in Cabinteely!". Adult Education Ireland. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  2. "Ballroom dancers trip the Limerick light fantastic". www.irishexaminer.com. 2006-06-12. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  3. "DancesportInfo.net". www.dancesportinfo.net. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  4. "Details of Stanislav Wakeham". www.worlddancesport.org. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  5. "Way too much power! Quickstep by Alessandro and Laura". Ballroom Dance Tube. 2017-04-14. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  6. "DancesportInfo.net". www.dancesportinfo.net. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  7. "Details of Alessandro Bosco". www.worlddancesport.org. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  8. "Laura Nolan". On The Right TRAX. 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  9. Dempsey, Andrew. "Ultimate Hell Week Cast Includes Some Irish Sporting Legends". Balls.ie. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  10. Gallagher, Katie (2021-09-16). "DWTS pro Laura Nolan considered insuring her legs before RTE's Hell Week". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  11. "DWTS reveals new pro dancers after Curtis leaves". 2019-11-14.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. Gallagher, Katie (2019-11-14). "Dancing With The Stars changes as four professional dancers to be swapped out". irishmirror. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  13. Townsend, Michelle (2019-11-13). "Pictures: Dancing With The Stars Ireland professionals 2020". rsvp. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  14. "Brian Dowling voted off Dancing with the Stars". Irish Examiner . 2020-02-16. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  15. "Matthew MacNabb voted off Dancing with the Stars after lacklustre samba". independent. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  16. Glennon, Nicole (2022-12-19). "Dancing with the Stars: Pairings revealed as Dr Marie Cassidy, Carl Mullan, prepare to dance". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  17. "New partner for Davy Russell on tonight's DWTS". RTÉ News. RTÉ. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  18. Surve, Aakanksha (14 January 2024). "DWTS fans praise Laura Nolan for dancing twice amid wave of illnesses". Dublin Live. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  19. "Dancing With The Stars duo Matthew MacNabb and Laura Nolan confirm relationship from RTÉ show: 'We get on so well'". independent. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  20. "DWTS romance became "a natural thing" for couple". 2022-03-21.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)