Step to It

Aoibhneas croí! That’s what Dr. Martina Stehlikova experiences when she is Irish step dancing, popularized by the long-running show Riverdance. She started practicing about 12 years ago, which coincidentally is when she started working at Montefiore Einstein as a hospitalist on the Moses campus. It provided an emotional and physical outlet separate from medicine. This became invaluable during the worst days of the pandemic.

Martina Stehlikova, M.D.

This gladness of heart, priceless treasure of difficult times, all started with a Lipton tea commercial. The commercial began with a tired-looking woman “pre-tea” who suddenly gets her groove on once she takes her first few sips. She laces her shoes, starts tapping, slowly eases into a few steps, and then suddenly is joined by a whole Riverdance-type crew.

“I found it fascinating. It seemed so joyous” says Stehlikova. “I didn’t know at the time that it was a form of Irish step dancing.” This inspired her to learn by watching some videos at home. Later, she sought more formal training, signing on for classes at the Aherne Sheehan School of Irish Dance on the Upper East Side. This ultimately led to competitions (Feiseanna) where she ranked just below championship level.

Irish step dancing has a long history steeped (so to speak) in Irish culture dating back to the 18th century, (some say earlier) introduced by travelling Irish dance masters. 

Like other people featured in Progress Note’s “Off the Clock,” Stehlikova endured a few injuries for her art – fracturing her foot three times. “I can jump really high. It’s the landing that’s the problem,” says Stehlikova. “So, I am not doing competitions anymore.”

But she still dances. At the height of her practice, Stehlikova devoted some eight hours per week to Irish step dancing. During COVID, when the school couldn’t host in-person classes, Stehlikova practiced in Riverside Park.

“It really brings me joy,” says Stehlikova. "The rhythm of the music is my inner rhythm somehow. The rhythm of hitting the floor is therapeutic. It clears my mind and keeps me sane."