With our Spring Recital in the books, we have wrapped up the first year since we’ve opened our doors as a Lexington Irish dance school and joined a thriving local community. And what a year it’s been! We thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of our major milestones!
April 2016
On April 13, we taught our first class in Lexington…in a bar. That’s right! Thanks to our friends at McCarthy’s Irish bar downtown, we’ve offered a number of free Irish dance classes to the community at the Spiders Well. You can read more about that here or here.
On April 24, dancers from four schools joined together for an afternoon of music and dancing. It was the first event our Lexington Irish dance school hosted in town, and we were honored to join with others to commemorate 100 years since the 1916 Easter Rising put Ireland on the path to independence. Check out the video from the event!
June 2016
In June 2016, Bluegrass Ceili Academy went back to dance camp! Not only was it a chance to introduce students to our Lexington Irish dance school, but it was our first partnership with the amazing team Lexington Parks and Recreation’s Artworks at the Carver School. We taught classes at three different session and met some great dancers along the way — several of whom joined us for classes at Artworks.
September 2016
On September 26, we took our biggest step of the year, opening our studio in partnership with Artworks at the Carver Center. The bright, smiling faces of our children and adult walked through the door of our Lexington Irish dance school and joined the Bluegrass Ceili Academy family.
At Bluegrass Ceili Academy, our mission is to support our community. We are dedicated to promoting traditional Irish dance by providing a supportive learning environment for dancers of all ages and skill levels.
December 2016
Just nine weeks after our dancers walked into their first class at our Lexington Irish dance school — yes, NINE weeks — our children’s class stepped onstage for their, and OUR, very first performance. Their December 10 Winter Recital with the Kiddie Kapers & Company Dance Program was a crowd favorite, with everyone clapping along to the music, tapping their toes and giving us the best welcome we could want!
February 2017
2017 rolled in with a bang as we began a new series of classes for children and adults at our Irish dance school in Lexington. It also brought us our first family-oriented community ceili. Together with our friends at Failte Irish Shop, we hosted a night of dancing for the whole family on February 10. What a fun event!
March Madness 2017
Here it is in all of it’s glory! Bluegrass Ceili Academy’s first March Madness! What a great way to introduce ourselves to a larger Lexington community, and our dancers to the wonder that is St. Patrick’s month in the Irish community. On March 11, we stepped onstage and participated in our first parade for the Lexington St. Patrick’s Parade and Festival. On March 15, our dancers got the VIP treatment and met the cast of the touring production Rockin’ Road to Dublin. On the “holy day,” March 17, we joined Woodford Theatre for “Something Irish,” a community cultural celebration of dance, music and song. We also joined the Academy for Creative Excellence on March 18 and taught an Irish dance workshop to some very talented children and adults.
April 2017
That brings us back to April again — a full year in the life of our dance school. But as they say, the “best is yet to come”…and that was certainly the case for April. As a proud member of the local Irish community, for the first time this year, our Lexington Irish dance school sponsored a young woman for the Kentucky Rose of Tralee on April 2. Well, if she didn’t go and win the whole thing! We’re excited to have helped Kentucky’s Rose start her journey to Tralee and can’t wait to see her on the big stage in Ireland. Here’s a look at the “crowning moment!”
On April 15, our dancers took the stage at Kite Fest, sponsored by Lexington Parks and Recreation. We are proud partners of Parks and Rec and it was great to be onstage at Jacobsen Park. Check out the video from our performance here.
Our final class of the year was on April 17 and we couldn’t have been more excited to hand out certificates to our dancers marking their completion of one year of dance classes. They’ve come such a long way since walking through the doors of our studio and joining our Lexington Irish dance school.
But just because classes were over doesn’t mean the dance year is wrapped up… we still have our Spring Recital!
On April 29, a year’s worth of hard work came together for our Spring Recital performance at the Lexington Opera House. The big stage didn’t phase any of these dancers — the stepped out there and danced their hearts out to the audience’s delight. Our Lexington Irish dance school made a statement — complete with our brand new school costumes. Here’s their performance!
But wait… there’s more!
Join our Lexington Irish dance school this summer!
It was a tremendous first year… and there’s no reason for us to stop now! Get your calendars out now and save the dates for free summer Irish dance classes in Lexington for adults and children with Bluegrass Ceili Academy and Artworks at the Carver School! In partnership with Lexington Parks and Recreation, we’re hosting four workshops this summer to give you a chance to try Irish dance for FREE to see if you like it.
Check our our events page on Facebook for the schedule and class descriptions and join us this June and July to give Irish dance a try.