Dancing With The (Sibling) Stars: Rio Rancho's Padillas ready for world showcase 

RIO RANCHO — At the University of Dallas, mornings are usually calm.

Students sleepwalking from their beds to their first class, with the only sound in the building coming from alarm clocks and tired groans.

But down the hall, in the dorm lounge, Clare Padilla is going through her stretching routine on a Zoom call with her brother Max.

Later in the day, she’ll be back on the old carpet for another Zoom. This time, a dance practice, using folding chairs to simulate other dancers on stage.

“Dance has an outreach into all the aspects of my life,” Clare said. “In terms of things like my sleep, my diet, how much I get to work out, and stuff like that.”

With his sister calling in from a state away, Max Padilla gets his practice in at Brightburn Academy of Irish Dance in Rio Rancho, getting in repetitions and practice on the dance floor.

 “We just basically do drills for a while,” Max Padilla said, “and then we run through my dances a few times for stamina.”

It may not seem like a standard activity to many, but for the Padillas, it runs in the family — a family that will soon be showcased on the global stage.

Via qualifying at the Western US Regional Championships this past fall, Clare and Max are bound for the World Championship of Irish Dance this spring, the only two New Mexicans to do so this year.

“Getting to meet the other boys at the bigger competitions, the national competitions, just talk to them and get the chance to compete,” Max Padilla said. “Competing with them and just see how I do.”

Max finished in the top five at regionals, with Clare in the top three in her field. Getting to head into the world championships with your sibling? The perfect symbol of the Padillas’ journey.

“I feel like if my family wasn't doing it with me, I probably wouldn't do it,” Clare Padilla said. “They're kind of the soul of why I do it.”

Clare and Max’s mother, Kate Padilla, started Irish dancing as an adult. What was originally a workout plan and a hobby away from full-time mothering turned quickly into a passion, with Kate reaching championship level and participating in competitions.

Soon enough, Brightburn Academy of Irish Dance was born. With Kate as the owner and an instructor at the school, all five of her children got involved in Irish dance, with Max and Clare dancing and competing with Brightburn for most of their lives.

“My mom owns the studio, and in my opinion, she's a wonderful teacher,” Max Padilla said. “So we have classes for little kids and adults; it's fun to progress through the levels and meet new friends and just have fun.”

For young student-athletes, Irish dance is not your average after-school activity — trading school gymnasiums for dance studios and weeknight games for weekend out-of-state competitions. 

Nonetheless, it is still the same level of commitment and dedication, a commitment Max works with on top of being homeschooled, while Clare, now in college, had to adjust to pursuing dance while being out of state.

 “I feel trying to keep up with dance, in addition to college, has been challenging,” Clare Padilla said. “But it really just made me realize that if I was going to choose this, then I needed to be all in, especially while I have youth on my side. I wanted to show up and just see how far I could go and push myself to be the best person that I could be.”

That “all-in” mentality circles back to the overarching theme of family, featured in everything from the emotional aspect to the duos' preparation.

“It's really helpful, because your siblings are there to support you,” Max Padilla said. “We've (Max and Clare) had a lot of connection there. It's been really fun just cheering each other on.”

“Having my brother do it with me is super encouraging,” Clare Padilla said. “I feel like the fact that we can keep each other accountable and stay curious about our results and aspects of our dancing, that we can always push to be better in different ways.”

The duo does everything from breaking down film of their dances to supporting each other at competitions, something that will come in handy at the world championship in Illinois, where more than 4,000 dancers from all over the globe will be in attendance.

Practicing for these competitions, let alone “worlds,” is not as simple as just getting a workout in. With judges dictating the scores and placements, scorers examine every small detail, including facial expressions and foot positioning.

“You're trying to think of all these things while you're dancing with somebody you've never danced before,” Clare Padilla said. “You have to really pay attention to where you are on the dance floor, which can be tricky. I'm only one person, so I can't really prepare with having another person here at college, but definitely finding strategies like putting chairs around the room or something like that to kind of distract me, has been useful.”

Those chairs will evolve into real talented dancers in Illinois, performing with the best in the world with titles on the line. Could it be a bit overwhelming, especially for a 15-year-old like Max?

“I had a lot of fun there,”

What seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is actually “been there, done that” for the Rio Rancho teenager, reminiscing on making it to last year’s world competition in Ireland.

“It is usually out of the country,” Max Padilla said. “Last year it was in Dublin, Ireland, so that was really fun to go to.”

This cool, calm and collected approach to the Olympics of Irish Dance is just another example of what the sport means to these two: It's not just an activity or a hobby, but rather an outlet, an artform, and a major part of their lives.

“Understanding your reasons for doing a particular sport, knowing what your why is, is really important,” Clare Padilla said. “Not letting the fear of hard work or having big dreams scare you, because I know that it definitely kind of scared me at first. I'm typically the girl who is in the back of the classroom, a little shy, but honestly, having these dreams has totally just transformed me as a person. If you want to be good, show up every day. But if you want to be great, you really have to lean into the curiosity about that particular art form and how to make it look effortless and breathtaking.”

Artists, siblings, and dancers Clare and Max Padilla will return to their canvas on March 29, when the 2026 World Championship of Irish Dance in Schaumburg, Illinois, begins.