So, you’re interested in getting into Irish dance, or Irish step dance as it’s sometimes called. Maybe you saw the Saint Patrick’s Day parades and it got you thinking about it, or a friend who is into dance mentioned it to you, or maybe you even stumbled over a video of Irish dancers online. Whatever your reason, getting into Irish dance can be a great experience! It’s an amazing sport with a fascinating history behind it and a style you just won’t find anywhere else. But how do you get started?
Well, there’s a few different approaches you might want to take depending on what you want out of it. The biggest factor for what options you have is, of course, your location. We simply can’t list every possible school or club you could start learning Irish dance at, so the aim of this article is to give you enough information to know where you should start looking. This way, you can tailor your search to your personal goals!
Option 1: Academies of Irish Dance
A more traditional option, these are dance schools that primarily focus on teaching Irish dance and helping their students enter competitions called feiseanna. A lot of them do have shows and recitals like other dance schools as well, but it’s less of a focus for them. These schools will typically be more competition-focused and usually have classes that cover a very wide range of ages, from adults to under-tens- even kids as young as three or four! These schools are also generally part of larger organizations that regulate and organize feiseanna. One of the largest such organizations is The Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America, or IDTANA, which has over a thousand member teachers across Canada, the USA, and Mexico. Their website here has a tool that allows you to search for schools and competitions by location, making it an excellent place to start your search.
Option 2: Dance Schools Offering Irish Dance Lessons
Another option is to sign up at a more general-purpose dance school, such as ones that offer tap and ballet lessons, that is also offering Irish dance lessons. This has become more common as Irish dance has gotten a little more popular in recent years, and it’s a great option for dipping your toes in if you’re already attending a dance school like this. Their focus is usually more towards end-of-year recitals over competitions, and options exist for any age range. They typically won’t be part of major Irish dance organizations like IDTANA, which does mean that if you want to start going to competitions you may have to join a more focused Irish dance school. The quickest way to find dance schools offering Irish dance lessons is usually through search engines, but if you’re already attending a lessons somewhere you should ask your teacher if they have an Irish dance program or see if there’s enough interest to start one.
Option 3: Ceili Clubs
Ceili is a word for an Irish social gathering with dancing, and they’re common festivals in the Irish dance community. Ceili are often much more social and relaxed dancing environments, and while many are family-friendly they tend to be a little more adult-oriented than schools. If you’re an adult looking to get into Irish dance or even just learn more in a fun, relaxed environment looking up nearby Ceili club can be a great way to get started!
You can also look up Irish Culture Clubs, which are present in many states- some of them, like the Ancient Order of Hibernians, have branches in multiple states. They’re generally not very focused on Irish dance compared to more general Irish culture, but they will often be able to point you in the direction of local clubs or schools where you can get started. Of course, these are just a few of the ways you could get started with Irish dance, and we’re always looking for stories from our readers. If you’ve been in the sport for a while, how did you get started? If you’re just starting to look, what got you interested? Let us know on our facebook page, and keep an eye on this blog for more Irish dance tips!