Join us for Céilí Mór Kentucky Aug. 26-27 in Lexington

Join us for Céilí Mór Kentucky Aug. 26-27 in Lexington

Bluegrass Ceili Academy
Bluegrass Ceili Academy, in partnership with the Bluegrass Irish Society and McTeggart Irish Dancers (Kentucky), presents Céilí Mór Kentucky, a weekend celebration of Irish dance, music and language. Céilí Mór Kentucky is made possible in part by a dance development grant from An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha. Join us August 26-27 in Lexington at Artworks at the Carver School for two days of workshops in Irish dance, music and language. Learn from professional musicians and dancers and participate in a community ceili to wrap up the event. Admission is $5 per day, with unlimited classes per day. The event will be held at Artworks at the Carver School, 522 Patterson Street, Lexington, KY. Participants will have the opportunity to take classes in Irish dance, music and language from a talented…
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Bluegrass Ceili again named a favorite Lexington dance studio

Bluegrass Ceili again named a favorite Lexington dance studio

Bluegrass Ceili Academy
Bluegrass Ceili Academy is back on the podium this year in the 2022 Best of Lexington awards. We're honored to be a favorite Lexington dance studio according to YOU and our community! The Lexington Herald Leader's 2022 Best of Lexington Awards were announced August 14 and thanks to our community, Bluegrass Ceili Academy was among the top three. "We couldn't be more excited to be among the top studios according to our neighbors," said academy director Megan Moloney. It's the second year in a row that the #dowhatmakesyourheartsing studio has been at the top of mind for Lexingtonians. In 2021, Bluegrass Ceili Academy took top honors. "One of my favorite quotes from Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is 'though she be but little, she is fierce.," Moloney explained. "I think…
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Lexington Irish dance teacher wins Global Excellence in Teaching Award

Lexington Irish dance teacher wins Global Excellence in Teaching Award

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington
Irish Dancing Magazine announces 2021 recipients The following story was originally published on Patch.com. Irish Dancing Magazine, a global print magazine covering the interesting world of Irish dancing, recently announced the award-winning recipients of the 2021 Irish Dancing Teacher Awards. The international award recognizes excellence in teaching by honoring extraordinary dance teachers. “We are thrilled that Lexington Irish dance teacher, Megan Moloney with Bluegrass Ceili Academy, is one of 23 teachers in the world receiving the 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award. Megan is beloved by her students and parents alike and is an engaging, caring and inspirational dance teacher,” shared Denise Keane, publisher of Irish Dancing Magazine. After an extensive review of hundreds of nominations, Irish Dancing Magazine narrowed the field to an impressive list which includes 17 individuals and…
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Bluegrass Ceili’s Megan Moloney recognized for excellence in teaching

Bluegrass Ceili’s Megan Moloney recognized for excellence in teaching

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Instruction
The founder and director of Lexington's community-based Irish dance school was recently recognized with a global excellence in teaching award. Bluegrass Ceili Academy's Megan Moloney is one of just 23 individuals worldwide who were singled out for Irish Dancing Magazine's 2021 Irish Dancing Teacher Awards. "It's such an amazing thing to be able to share my chosen art with others. It's an even more amazing thing when you can see the impact you have on them. And when you're recognized for that impact at a global level? That's so very special," Moloney said. In April, Irish Dancing Magazine announced they were seeking nominations for dance teachers with qualities that reflect a standard of excellence that goes beyond competitive results. Students from Bluegrass Ceili Academy nominated Moloney for not only her…
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Irish dancing in Lexington… all the way through the summer!

Irish dancing in Lexington… all the way through the summer!

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington
With Bluegrass Ceili Academy, we're finding way to keep you Irish dancing in Lexington all throughout the year. Our winter and spring class sessions at Artworks at the Carver School are just one option for our dancers, who have kept on their toes this summer with drills classes, preparation for grade exams and competitions, as well as a few performances. Here's a look at a few of the the opportunities our youth and adult dancers have had since the beginning of May. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEVxlbbNBf4 In May, we wrapped up our spring classes with a performance onstage at Lexington's MoonDance Amphitheater as part of the Kiddie Kapers and Company spring dance recital. Our Saturday summer drills class not only focuses on the fundamentals, but on creating fun new choreographies, such as a…
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Connecting globally to serve our Lexington Irish dance school community

Connecting globally to serve our Lexington Irish dance school community

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington
Photo from January 2020's Percussive Irish Dance Workshop What classes look like at our Lexington Irish dance school over the last few months are certainly different than the last time we were in our Artworks studio. Video lessons and review, Zoom classes and outdoor instruction are all ways we’ve kept our dancers moving over the summer.  As we head back into classes this September, there are more changes coming for Bluegrass Ceili Academy and we’re excited to share them with you.  Focusing on fundamentals This fall, the classes for both our youth and adult dancers at our Lexington Irish dance school will focus on the fundamentals of Irish step dancing. Different from the ceili dancing we usually teach, this year’s instruction will include learning what we call “solo” dances --…
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Irish dancing in Lexington amidst a pandemic: Staying healthy at dance

Irish dancing in Lexington amidst a pandemic: Staying healthy at dance

Bluegrass Ceili Academy, Irish Dance Classes in Lexington
Irish dancing in Lexington, and around the world, has changed in the post-COVID 19 world and Bluegrass Ceili Academy is adapting to change with it. We'd like to share with you some of the steps we're taking. While hand sanitizer was a staple in our classrooms before March -- with all the hand-holding our choreography requires, it kept the flu and other bugs away -- it's now just one of multiple health precautions we have to take. Masks, social distancing, sanitizer and hand-washing are all things we're asking our dancers to do. What Irish dancing in Lexington looks like now For our community-based Irish dance school, dancing together now means a number of different things. Since March, we've taken our dancing to the computer screen with recorded classes on Google…
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Bluegrass Ceili Academy’s award-winning kilt design heading to production

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

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

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…
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The Irish Dance Podcast interviews Bluegrass Ceili Academy founder

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…
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