bluegrass ceili academy

Nov32016 by BCANo Comments

Bluegrass Ceili Academy: Getting ready to take the stage!

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We're a full month into our very first year of Bluegrass Ceili Academy classes and time really does fly when you're having fun. Our children's class is full of young dancers getting their first taste of Irish dance. Some have danced before, some had never taken a dance class until they walked in our studio doors. All of them are having a great time! We're excited that our dancers, ages five to 10, are learning... AND getting ready for their first performance. Bluegrass Ceili Academy will be joining the Kiddie Kapers and Company Dance Program for their winter recital on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 11 a.m. One thing we're super excited about is getting to put together our very first performance costumes. We're keeping it simple, but also a bit…

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…

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…

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…