The Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Lexington’s award-winning community Irish dance school, will offer a free Irish percussive dance workshop Saturday, July 12, at Artworks at the Tates Creek Ballroom, 1400 Gainesway Drive. The workshop will include instruction in sean-nós style Irish dancing, ceili dancing and traditional hard-shoe set dancing.
Megan Moloney, director and founder of Bluegrass Ceili Academy, said the workshop provides an excellent opportunity for individuals of all levels to engage with traditional Irish percussive dance.
“We are so excited to have our Academy partner, Mary Beth Taylor from Dublin, Ireland, return once again to Lexington to teach with us,” Moloney added.
This year’s Irish percussive dance workshop is designed for dancers of all ages, styles and skill levels, even if you’ve never taken Irish dance previously. Participants are asked to register for the level most appropriate for their experience. (No material for competition will be taught at this workshop.)
Irish Percussive dance workshop schedule
The full workshop schedule for Saturday, July 12, 2025, is:
- 9-9:30 a.m. Registration
- 9:30-9:45 a.m. Warm-up and stretch
- 9:45-10:30 a.m. Introduction to Irish hard shoe dancing (Beginner/Intermediate level, all ages)
- 10:30-10:45 a.m. Break
- 10:45 a.m.-noon Ceili dancing (all ages and levels)
- Noon-1 p.m. Lunch break
- 1-2:30 p.m. Sean-nós dancing (Intermediate/Advanced level)
- 2:30-2:45 p.m. Break
- 3-4:30 p.m. Traditional hardshoe Irish sets (Intermediate/Advanced level)
While classes are free, registration for the 2025 Irish percussive dance workshop is required, and each class will be limited to 30 dancers. Online registration is available at this link.
About the Instructors
The workshop will be led by Irish Dance Dublin founding director Mary Beth Taylor and Bluegrass Ceili Academy director Megan Moloney.
Taylor, a sean-nós dancing teacher and a registered Irish dancing teacher (TCRG) with An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, has lived and danced in Ireland since 2002. She has more than 25 years of experience as a performer, tutor and choreographer, teaching and performing throughout Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Cyprus, Albania, Mexico, New Zealand and Oman. Taylor is a two-time recipient of the Arts Council of Ireland’s Deis award creating two popular instructional sean-nós DVDs.
Moloney and Taylor met while both were dancing in Washington, D.C. As partners in dance education, they have collaborated on projects including multiple Lexington percussive dance workshops and Céilí Mór Kentucky.
Moloney began teaching adult students and teams nearly 20 years ago. She achieved TMRF certification with An Comisiún le Rincí Gaelacha in 2010. Adults coached by Moloney have achieved two North American team championships, 23 regional championship céilí team titles and a solo regional championship. She has performed – and had her choreography presented – across Kentucky and the nation’s capital, including at the Kennedy Center and with bands Carbon Leaf and Scythian. In July 2021, Irish Dancing Magazine selected Moloney as one of 23 teachers worldwide for excellence in teaching.
Bluegrass Ceili Academy marks 10-year anniversary
In addition to the workshop, the Bluegrass Ceili Academy will celebrate its 10th anniversary since its establishment in Lexington. An anniversary event is scheduled for Friday, July 11, from 7-9 p.m. at The Spiders Well at McCarthy’s Irish Bar, the Academy’s original class location.
“The past 10 years have been an amazing experience for Bluegrass Ceili Academy,” Moloney said. “We invite everyone who has been a part of our journey, whether by dancing with us or offering support, to join us for an evening of Irish dance, music and camaraderie as we reflect on a decade of memories.”