2016 – Page 2 – Bluegrass Ceili Academy

Aug162016 by Megan MNo Comments

Irish dance classes in Lexington: Register beginning August 24

Instruction, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington

Bluegrass Ceili Academy will begin offering Irish dance classes in Lexington this fall through Artworks, a community cultural arts program. Registration for classes begins online Wednesday, August 24 at noon through the Lexington Parks and Recreation website. Join us on Monday nights for classes at the Carver School in downtown Lexington. Our children's Irish dance class is from 6 - 7 p.m. and has a fall and spring session. The fall session runs September 26 - December 5 and costs $60. The spring session is January 30 - April 17 and is $70. Students ages 6 to 15 are welcome to join our children's class -- no previous dance experience is necessary, but we certainly welcome those with other dance or previous Irish dance experience. We're also excited to offer a new…

Aug92016 by Megan MNo Comments

Try a free Irish dance class in Lexington… then sign up for more!

Instruction, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington

This week is your last chance to try a free Irish dance class in Lexington before registration for our fall classes opens on August 24. Every month, we offer a night of dancing -- and fun -- at the Spiders Well at McCarthy's Irish Bar. You can join us downtown this month on Wednesday, August 10 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. Our free class is all about getting students up and dancing. We'll teach you the basics, but want you to enjoy the music and a dance or two. Here's what we did last month: Doesn't that look like fun? Spread the word about our free Irish dance class in Lexington You can help us spread the word about our free Irish dance class in Lexington and there are…

Jul302016 by Megan MNo Comments

We’ve got shoes! Community supports our Lexington Irish dance school

Community, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington

Ghillies, pumps, softshoes...jig shoes, hardshoes: no matter what you call them our friends in the Irish dance community have stepped up to support our Lexington Irish dance school with donations of gently used shoes. Our response: thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! [caption id="attachment_460" align="alignleft" width="302"] Donations from friends throughout the Irish dance community are making our "Used Shoe Box" possible.[/caption] Earlier this month, Bluegrass Ceili Academy spent a weekend in Washington, D.C. We had the chance to meet up with some of our best Irish dance friends and thankfully, they came bearing gifts of lightly worn dance shoes. You see, our Lexington Irish dance school will be starting classes for children and adults this fall through Lexington Parks and Recreation. For classes, you need shoes. Right now, you can't…

Jul152016 by Megan MNo Comments

Free Irish dance classes in Lexington ~ Join us for the fun!

Community, Instruction, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington

[gallery type="slideshow" link="file" size="large" ids="450,404,451"] Once a month, we pack up our dance shoes and "boom box" and head downtown to teach free Irish dance classes in Lexington. It's a low stress, fun-filled night of giving something new a try! We're offering these our free classes because Bluegrass Ceili Academy is committed to our communities here in Lexington -- the downtown community, the Irish community and our Irish dance community. As a new school, we've been welcomed in by so many and we're committed to giving back to those who are supporting us. Taking our monthly dance class is just one thing you can do to show support for our -- and YOUR -- community. We're grateful to our friends at McCarthy's Irish Bar for giving us space to teach our…

Jul122016 by Megan MNo Comments

Get your jig on! Join us for Irish dancing in Lexington!

Ceili Dancing, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington

It's "hump day" in the middle of summer and you're looking for something fun to do, right? Why not try a free night of Irish dancing in Lexington with Bluegrass Ceili Academy! We're hosting a night out at the Spiders Well in downtown Lexington -- dinner, shopping, a pint and your chance to "get jiggy" with it. Join us on Wednesday, July 13, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. Our friends along Upper Street are making a night of it -- we'll have a special dinner item from NAT's Thai restaurant available (last month it was an awesome curry). Failte Irish Shop is extending their hours to give you a chance to pick up some yummy Irish treats or classic Irish gifts. And since we're right next door to McCarthy's, you'll be…

Jun292016 by Megan MNo Comments

Dance as if EVERYONE is watching: 2016 Irish Dance National Championships

Ceili Dancing

This week in Orlando, Florida, the 2016 Irish dance national championships are taking place, bringing together some of the best Irish dancers from across North America and the world. With so many talented dancers -- soloists and teams -- under one roof there's a lot of energy and inspiration. One of the inspiring quotes you'll often see about dance is this one: Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching, and live like it’s heaven on earth. While dancing as if no one is watching gives you a sense of throwing caution to the wind, moving with the music and freedom, I think it's just as important to remind dancers to step out there on stage and dance as if EVERYONE is…

Jun272016 by Megan MNo Comments

Looking back: Irish dance national championships bring back great memories

Bluegrass Ceili Academy

This week in Orlando, Florida, the 2016 North American Irish Dance Championships, the Irish dance national championships, get underway with several thousand dancers and several hundred teams in attendance. As a brand new school, Bluegrass Ceili Academy won't have any dancers competing this year, but the competition always brings back a host of great memories. Five years ago, in Nashville, I took two teams of dancers to the competition (pictured above). I was coaching at the time with a school in the Washington, D.C. area and was year away from taking my teaching certification exam. It wasn't the first time we had traveled to the Irish dance national championships -- we had gone several times before to Philadelphia, Ottawa (2007) and Nashville (2008) and had placed as high as 3rd. In 2009, we…

Jun212016 by Megan MNo Comments

Lexington’s Bluegrass Ceili Academy heads to dance camp!

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Community, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington

Remember when summer break was the big thing and you couldn't wait to spend part of it at camp? That's what Bluegrass Ceili Academy is getting to do this summer and we couldn't be more excited to tell you all about it. The best part of camp so far? The energy! With students between the ages of 7 to 13, the room buzzes with summer excitement. As part of the Kiddie Kapers & Company Dance Program summer camp, Bluegrass Ceili Academy is stepping into one of the guest instructor spots each week. For the dancers, it's something new to learn. For the teacher (that's me!), it's an opportunity to work with a great group of girls and boys and introduce them to traditional Irish dance. In the first week, dancers learned the…

Jun92016 by Megan MNo Comments

We know how to have fun! A night of Irish dancing in Lexington

Ceili Dancing

Wow, what a night! We had a great time this week at McCarthy's Spiders Well as we hosted an evening of free Irish dancing in Lexington, featuring food, shopping, dancing and a pint or two. For those who showed up early, dinner at Nat's was a treat. Nat prepared a special curry for those attending the event. If you follow Bluegrass Ceili Academy on Facebook, you might have caught our sneak peak of it as we broadcast live before the event. Our friends at Failte Irish Imports stayed open late so our dancers could do a little shopping. Failte is a great supporter of Irish dancing in Lexington and we're excited to partner with them on these monthly events. They even provided some great door prizes for those who attended. Getting your jig…

Jun32016 by Megan MNo Comments

Supporting your community Irish dance school in Lexington

Community, Instruction

Starting up a Irish dance school in Lexington from the ground up is a lot of work. But we're thrilled to have a running start as we build our community-based program. We've already kicked things off with a series of free Irish dance classes in downtown Lexington at McCarthy's Irish Bar in the Spiders Well. Our first class was such fun that we're doing it again next week. Check out our Facebook event for the details, but consider joining us on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Bluegrass Ceili Academy: Your community-based Irish dance school in Lexington Our next big venture is coming up in the next few weeks as we introduce students from Kiddie Kapers & Company Dance Program to Irish dance. Students attending the summer camp offered by Lexington Parks…