Julia Topper is an adjunct professor of ethnomusicology at American University, freelance writer for the Feis App and Irish Dancing Magazine, piano teacher, Irish dancer, and assistant teacher at the Culkin School of Irish Dance in Maryland. She holds an MA in Ethnomusicology from the Eastman School of Music, and recently completed her PhD in Ethnomusicology with the University of Maryland, College Park, culminating in a dissertation entitled, “As We Circle the World: A Performative Ethnography of Irish Step Dance and Music in the United States and Japan,” which draws in part from her fieldwor ..read more

Irish Dance Theatre’s mission is to create, present and preserve exceptional Irish Dance through performances, training, education and community engagement to the widest possible audience. Our gaol is to be an internationally celebrated cultural institution. Please visit www.irishdancetheatre.org to help thanks in advance Martin   The post Ep 60 – Martin Percival and Irish Dance Theatre appeared first on The Irish Dance Podcast ..read more

Pat Roddy grew up in a family immersed in Irish Dancing with parents Tony and Úna both teachers and Úna an adjudicator.For both Pat and his sister Níamh,it was inevitable that they would both dance and compete. He is an Ulster,All-Ireland and 2 time World Champion and enjoyed over 7 years in Riverdance spending 3 and a half as lead dancer.He is particularly proud to have been lead dancer for Riverdance on Broadway which ran for 18 months in the Gershwin Theatre. He is married to Helena and has 4 beautiful children.He is an Anatomy in Motion practitioner and has a keen interest in movement. The ..read more

Katherine Monahan, author of the children’s book, Irish Dancer: Oireachtas, started Irish dancing at the age of 9. She worked her way up to the Open Championship level under the direction of Margaret Prendergast. She eventually reached her goal of qualifying for the World Irish Dance Championships and competing at the Worlds in Ireland. It is that preparation and moment in Katherine’s life of qualifying for Worlds that she draws upon as inspiration for her book. Katherine, now a mom of two kids, wanted to share with them and the Irish dance community, a story about an Irish dancer’s determinat ..read more

Founded in Lexington in 2015, the Bluegrass Ceili Academy brings more than a decade of Irish dance teaching experience and ceili expertise to Central Kentucky. Academy director and native Lexingtonian Megan Moloney studied Irish dance for nearly 20 years in the Washington, D.C., area; began teaching adult students and teams more than a decade ago; and achieved certification with the Irish dancing commission in 2010. The competitive Irish dance teams Megan coached have won 23 regional championship ceili titles between 2004 and 2015, and, in 2009, won the North American national championship ..read more

 Marilyn Abraham is the co-founder of Celtic Thunder Academy of Irish Music and Dance in Ontario Canada.  Now in its 11th year,  Celtic Thunder offers a wide array of Irish dance & music lessons, workshops, camps and performance opportunities to 55 students in 3 rural Ontario communities. In addition to her position at Celtic Thunder Academy, she is also a high school teacher and the Artistic Director of Spring Rain – Open Platform Irish Feis, Ceili and TCRG Preparatory Workshop, which is having it’s Spring Rain Weekend May 2-3, 2020.  The 2020 Spring RainWeekend offers an open platform fe ..read more

Russell J.  Beaton, SDCRG, born in Boston, Massachusetts, at age ten began studying Irish dance in Boston with Mary Costello Madden, TCRG. He competed throughout New England and the New York area in both solo and team competitions.  He was awarded his TCRG in 1976 and his ADCRG in 1980.  He was director of the Beaton School of Irish Dance for 15 years in Frederick MD, where his daughter Angela Beaton Lyons and Doug Westfall ADCRG were also teachers.  In addition to his years of teaching and judging, in 2007 he was appointed an examiner (SDCRG) by the Irish Dance Commission in Dublin.  He has s ..read more

Maggie Wilkins began Irish Dancing at the age of 9 with the Ni’Fherraigh O’Ceallaigh School of Irish Dance in Newmarket and Bradford, Canada. During her 9 years with the studio she competed locally and internationally. At 18, Maggie was accepted into the dance program at George Brown College and spent the next two years focusing on other styles of dance, including ballet, pointe, jazz, musical theatre and modern. Using the technique and experience gained in the program, she returned to Irish Dance by competing with the Gilchrist-Canavan School of Irish Dance. While there she competed in 3 Worl ..read more

Tyler Schwartz is the 2013 Senior Men’s World Champion.  He has also won championships all over the world, such as the All-Ireland, All-Scotland, Great Britain, and North American Championships. Most recently, Tyler has been named “Man of the Year” by Irish Dance Magazine, was the first Irish dancer to be a sponsored athlete for Capezio Dancewear, and has been a featured dancer on Instagram, NowThis, and Buzzfeed.  He has been the lead dancer in many productions, including Rockin’ Road to Dublin, Busch Gardens Celtic Fyre, and Gaelforce Dance. The post Ep 53 – Tyler Schwartz appeared first on ..read more

One of 11 children born to Irish/Canadian immigrants in Boston, Michael Smith began his Irish dance career as a ‘tag along’.  Never officially enrolled in the class, he joined his sisters on Saturdays so they could look after him. Sitting quietly in the back and behaving until class was over, he spent the time watching intently and taking it all in.  Weeks later, at the tender age of 4, Michael marched up to Mary Costello Madden and said he knew the steps.  The days of Michael Smith sitting in the background were over, and the rest is history.  Michael danced for Mary Madden until traveling to ..read more