It's nearly impossible to make out the 12-year-old in the curly blonde wig dancing in a crowd of hundreds on the grainy video from 2003. But Sara Rhodes Zimmerman can find herself.
The same goes for the low-resolution photo, where Zimmerman has circled what looks to be a dot in green marker.
“That’s me!” she said.
That's because the memories haven't faded. Being part of the spectacle that is the Virginia International Tattoo is what Zimmerman considers pivotal in her life.
"I loved putting on the makeup and those long days of performing and rehearsing.”
For the first time in nine years, Irish dance returns to the Tattoo, which will be held Thursday through Sunday at Scope. Among the performers are 23 students from the Rhodes Academy of Irish Dance, the school Zimmerman started in 2018 with locations in Virginia Beach and Williamsburg.
What’s better than dancing in the Tattoo, something she did three times? How about passing on that elite experience to another generation?
“It is full circle,” she said. “It’s like my family is in the Tattoo. It’s not just me as a dancer in the Tattoo. My name is represented in the Tattoo in a different way than just being a feature dancer.”
Since Zimmerman received the initial email of interest from the Virginia Arts Festival almost a year ago, she began formulating routines of the high-energy dance, distinguished by synchronized kicking and stomping combined with elaborate choreography. Lower body flexibility is key. Arms are typically straight and hang straight by the sides.
Scott Jackson, director/producer of the Tattoo, remembers Zimmerman from that first performance.
“She stood out as a super talent,” he said. “We’re really proud of her. We feel like she’s part of the Tattoo team and happy to see her passing on what she learned.”
As the daughter of an Army captain, Zimmerman attended the Tattoo before performing in it with the now-defunct Reel Thing School of Irish Dance. Her first routine was no more than five minutes, as part of a group of 25 dancing to a recorded track. In later years, the last in 2017, she was a lead dancer.
Like many, Zimmerman grew smitten with Irish dance thanks to “Riverdance,” which started as an intermission act and morphed into a worldwide phenomenon in the 1990s. The European stage show made its way to Broadway for a 17-month stay. More than 25 million have seen it live.
After Zimmerman watched the PBS production, she told her parents, “I want to do that.”
Her mother leafed through the Yellow Pages to find an Irish dance class. While Zimmerman took lessons in ballet and tap, she was drawn to the rapid foot movements that produce a rhythmic clicking sound.
“There’s something about it that really makes it special,” she said. “I think it is the combination of the tradition, the history, the style. Over the years, the athleticism is out the roof.”
Zimmerman’s 13-year competitive career included performing in “Celtic Fyre” at Busch Gardens Ireland and at Disney World's Raglan Road Irish Pub. She toured with Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” on Broadway and in Eastern Europe in 2015.
Rhodes Academy includes dancers as young as 6 to championship level. Wigs, crowns and glittery costumes make the performers sparkle.
For the last several years, students have participated in the Tattoo Hullabaloo, the free daily exhibition of music, dancing and percussion. Her younger dancers will perform in those. Zimmerman’s students for the Tattoo range in age from 11 to 41. They will dance to the Irish ballad “Star of the County Down” and Sham Rock’s “Tell Me Ma.”
“It will be overwhelming for some of them,” Zimmerman said. Rather than a traditional stage, the dancers perform in the round. “Until you walk out in the arena, you don’t realize how big the space is.”
Zimmerman joins in during rehearsals but will leave performing to her students. She’s eager for them to soak up every moment.
“I get tingles just thinking about my experience,” Zimmerman said. “Epic is the only word I can think of. Iconic. When you hear the music, you start to understand how music affects people and how theater can transport you to a different world.”
The 2026 Virginia International Tattoo, part of the Virginia Arts Festival, will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Visit vafest.org for tickets and information.
