A lively competition afoot. World Irish Dance Championships step into Phila.

In the lobby of the Kimmel Center, dancer Charaina Kelly, her hair a mass of blond curls, was panting, a light sweat shining on her forehead.

Dressed in a turquoise and black dress, her face sparkling with turquoise eye shadow and fuschia lipstick, Kelly had just finished a heavy jig in the senior girls competition of the World Irish Dance Championships.

"I'm happy with it," Kelly, 24, with an accent by way of Belfast, said of her performance. "I love the competition, just the buzz of having done well."

For most of her life, Kelly has been dancing. Last year, she placed 10th in the world. Then, three weeks later, she ruptured an Achilles tendon, leaving her "in plaster" for five months.

This year's competition marks her comeback. She's hoping to make the top 25.

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(Photo credit: Sarah Glover, Staff Photographer)