Youth Irish Step Dance Classes

Irish step dance is one of the most popular traditional dance forms to come from the Emerald Isle. Popularized recently by shows such as Riverdance, this form is both challenging to perform and exhilarating to watch. It is divided into two forms: soft shoe and hard shoe. Soft shoe consists of intricate flexible footwork, and fast flexible leg work with leaps and high kicks. Hard shoe boasts fast percussive rhythms, intricate footwork and extreme precision. When step dancers perform together, it is an impressive sight to say the least.

Our Youth students progress through a structured Irish dance curriculum by passing graded exams that cover the traditional material for their level.

• Beginner Level: The starting point for new Irish dancers. Geared for children. No experience necessary. Dancers learn basic soft shoe techniques and simple traditional Irish dance choreography.
• Advanced Beginner Level: For the Irish dancer with some Irish dance experience (usually at least 6 months). At this level, the Irish dancer will begin hard shoe Irish dance training. The Irish dancer should be familiar with all of the basic soft shoe techniques.
• Primary Level: Irish dancers in this level hone their skills in the foundations learned in the Beginner levels. Dancers will also be introduced to more advanced choreography and techniques for solo and group performances.
• Intermediate Level: For experienced Irish dancers proficient in Primary level Irish dance techniques. Usually, the Irish dancer has 3 or more years of Irish dancing experience and can perform challenging choreography in both hard shoe and soft shoe as a solo dancer or within a group.
• Open Level: The highest level for Irish dancers. Irish dancers at this level have mastered all the motions of hard shoe and soft shoe. They know all of the traditional Irish dances and can perform professional-grade choreography as a solo dancer or within a group.

Class Schedule

The Irish dance classes listed below welcome youth. However, Intermediate/Open Irish dance classes permit adults with advanced Irish dance skills.

Day	Class	Location	Time
Sat	Performance Troupe B Ealain Ceime Members Only	Rochester Hills	1:00PM
Sat	Performance Troupe A Ealain Ceime Members Only	Rochester Hills	2:00PM