2019 – Bluegrass Ceili Academy

Nov132019 by BCANo Comments

Bluegrass Ceili Academy’s award-winning kilt design heading to production

The email header read: "We have a tartan contest winner." The headline: "Sing it out loud." But what was inside the email was the news dancers at Lexington's Bluegrass Ceili Academy had been waiting for. The school's "Heart Sings" tartan design was selected the winner from 360 designs in Sport Kilt's October contest. The design was among the top five most popular entries receiving votes from the public during the month-long contest. "We're thrilled to learn that our design, which represents the spirit and history of our community-based dance program, was selected for production by Sport Kilt," said Megan Moloney, director of Bluegrass Ceili Academy. "Knowing we'll be able to wear a custom-created, American-made dance costume that represents who we are, what we stand for and the community we call…

Nov42019 by BCANo Comments

Percussive Irish dance workshop in Lexington returns with new classes

Instruction, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington, Uncategorized

A two-day Irish dance workshop in Lexington Jan. 18-19, 2020, will explore the roots of Irish and percussive dance styles. The event returns for the third year to Artworks at the Carver School and for the first time features classes on percussive improvisation and Appalachian flatfooting. Whether you tap, clog, Irish dance or just enjoy a good toe-tapping tune, we invite you to spend your weekend making music with your feet. Join us as we bring acclaimed dancer and instructor Mary Beth Taylor to Lexington from Dublin, Ireland, for two days of traditional old style Irish séan nos and set dancing classes. Taylor will be joined this year by Julie Shepherd-Powell, an award-winning Appalachian flatfoot dancer, and Carla Gover, a Kentucky Folklife Program master artist in traditional dance, who will teach…

Oct162019 by BCANo Comments

Our “Heart Sings” in Bluegrass Ceili tartan designed for SportKilt contest

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Community, Uncategorized

The "Heart Sings" tartan represents the past, present and future of Lexington's community-based Irish dance program. Click and vote for it here until the first week of November. Dancers at Lexington's Bluegrass Ceili Academy regularly rock the Big Blue, a tartan from U.S.-made SportKilt. Now we're taking a chance on getting our very own tartan made and we need your help to do it. SportKilt recently announced its "Put the Art in Tartan" contest, allowing individuals to design their own colorful patterns. "[T]artans have been worn to express family, region or individual pride for nearly 2,000 years," according to the contest website. Taking on the tartan challenge As a proud part of SportKilt's #ClanBrave, Lexington's community-based Irish dance school submitted design for the company's tartan contest. And while the design…

Sep182019 by BCANo Comments

The Irish Dance Podcast interviews Bluegrass Ceili Academy founder

Bluegrass Ceili Academy

Pull out your phones or computer -- it's time to listen to Bluegrass Ceili Academy founder and director Megan Moloney on the newest episode of The Irish Dance Podcast. According to host Martin Percival, the goal of The Irish Dance Podcast is to highlight members of Irish dance world, "one guest at a time, as a way for our community to celebrate its history, culture, richness and global reach." Percival is a former dancer with Riverdance, Dancing on Dangerous Ground, and principal dancer with Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance. He also co-founded Irish Dance Theatre, a Colorado-based 501c3 nonprofit that seeks to preserve and embolden the art of Irish dance. In episode 57, released Sept. 17, Percival talks with Moloney about learning Irish dance as an adult dancer, competing as an adult, passing…

Sep12019 by BCANo Comments

Sign up for affordable Irish dance classes in Lexington

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington

If you've been looking for Irish dance classes in Lexington, now is the time to sign up with Bluegrass Ceili Academy. Our classes -- for both children and adults -- focus on learning and mastering the basics of Irish dancing -- we'll have three classes, plus an extra teams class to choose from this fall. Beginning Irish Dance (Mondays, 5:30-6:15 p.m.) - This class is for students ages 6+ who have never taken an Irish dance class or those who aren't quite ready for our regular youth class. Dancers who previously were in our pre-school class may enroll in this class. New students younger than 6 may enroll with instructor permission after an evaluation. Youth Irish Dance (Mondays, 6:15-7:15 p.m.) - This class is for returning students or those placed in the class with…

Jul222019 by BCANo Comments

Registration for Bluegrass Ceili Academy Fall 2019 classes opens July 24

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Instruction

Bluegrass Ceili Academy's Fall 2019 session at Artworks opens for registration this week -- so mark your calendars and remember to get signed up! Our Irish dance classes for children and adults focus on learning and mastering the basics of Irish dancing -- we'll have three classes, plus an extra teams class to choose from this fall. Beginning Irish Dance (Mondays, 5:30-6:15 p.m.) - This class is for students ages 6+ who have never taken an Irish dance class or those who aren't quite ready for our regular youth class. Dancers who previously were in our pre-school class may enroll in this class. New students younger than 6 may enroll with instructor permission after an evaluation. Youth Irish Dance (Mondays, 6:15-7:15 p.m.) - This class is for returning students or those placed in the class with…

Jul182019 by BCANo Comments

Bluegrass Ceili Academy receives 2019 LexArts community arts grant

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington

Lexington's community-based Irish dance school, Bluegrass Ceili Academy, has again been awarded a community arts development grant by LexArts. The grant will provide scholarships to dancers for the 2019-2020 class year. "It's an absolute honor for us to be supported by LexArts, through its Fund for the Arts, which is funded in part by the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government," said Academy director Megan Moloney. "As a community-based program, our partners -- including LexArts and Lexington Parks and Recreation -- make what we do possible." "With this grant, we'll be able make Irish dance an option for more students in our community, including both children and adults," Moloney said. LexArts is greater Lexington's premier cultural development, advocacy and fund raising organization. This is the second year Bluegrass Ceili Academy has…

Jul142019 by BCANo Comments

Summer doesn’t slow down for this Lexington Irish dance school

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Community

From festivals to competitions to free classes, Bluegrass Ceili Academy, a community-based Lexington Irish dance school keeps the activities going all summer long. While our 2018-2019 classes wrapped up at the beginning of May, our dancers have kept dancing all summer long. On May 10, our youth Irish dance class took the stage at the Lexington Opera House for their year-end recital. https://www.instagram.com/p/BxTQBERlKgh/ The next day, our adults and a few of our youth dancers traveled up I-75 to Cincinnati for the Queen City Feis. https://www.instagram.com/p/BxU1OSwlRpR/ Then it was back home for the final night of Opera House recitals -- this time our Lexington Irish dance school team dancers took to the stage. (Be sure to scroll through all three photos below!) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxWC4-eFAeh/ Summer is festival season and there's no…

Mar52019 by BCANo Comments

2019’s Irish dance March madness in Lexington is upon us

Local Events

The season of St. Patrick is upon us and that means it's time for some Irish dance March madness here in Central Kentucky. Our Bluegrass Ceili Academy dancers have their hands full with performances, parades and more. We hope you'll be able to join us for some of the events listed below. Bluegrass Ceili Academy's Irish Dance March Madness February 23 Stonewall Elementary Arts Night March 1 New Opportunity School for Women, Berea (private performance) March 7 First Thursday at McCarthy's with the Lexington Irish dance & music community, 8:30 p.m. (Irish time) March 10 KET Telefund (private performance) March 11 Live with Lee and Hayley/ WLEX-TV - watch online Out & About with DeAnn Stephens /WKYT-TV March 12 Lexington Fund for the Arts Campaign Kickoff at the Kentucky Theatre,…

Jan22019 by BCANo Comments

Bluegrass Ceili Academy supports adoption of CLRG anti-bullying policy

Bluegrass Ceili Academy

On Jan. 2, 2019, An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) - the Irish Dancing Commission - sent its members a copy of the the organization's proposed anti-bullying policy. Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Lexington's community-based Irish dance program, supports this policy and immediately adopted the proposed statement. A copy of of the policy is below: Bullying and unkindness, whether physical or emotional, are entirely unacceptable at Bluegrass Ceili Academy. It conflicts sharply with the school's principles and will always be treated seriously. Bullying is behavior by an individual or group, repeated over time, which intentionally hurts another individual or group, either physically or emotionally.Bullying can take many forms (including cyber-bullying via text messages or the internet).If you feel that you are being bullied, or are concerned about bullying, please contact your teacher…