How to Get Your Child Involved in Irish Dancing

Irish dancing is a rewarding hobby for any student. Kids can take Irish dance classes for fun or competition. Irish dance is a close-knit community and it is not as easy to find a local, specialized dance center. If your child has shown an interest in Irish dance, you can provide encouragement by researching the hobby and selecting a school that matches the needs of you and your child.

Inquire at Local Cultural Centers

Reach out to the Irish-American community for personal recommendations on local dance schools. If you are Irish-American, consider asking family friends. You'll likely discover that you already know a parent or grandparent of a student enrolled in Irish dance classes.

To receive a direct recommendation for an Irish dance school matching your child's interest, check local centers of Irish-American culture, including:

• Irish-American heritage centers

• Local churches

• Neighborhood gatherings

Connect Online

Many organizers of Irish-American and St. Patrick's Day events are easily accessible online. Look up event information for your area's largest Irish festival or St. Patrick's Day parade and e-mail the event organizers for more information about local Irish dance schools.

Prominent members of the Irish-American community often enjoy connecting on social media and professional websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Do not be surprised if you receive a connection request after exchanging a few e-mails with event organizers.

You can also track down dance schools' fan pages on Facebook and locate adult fans. Many fans are likely parents or instructors.

Communicate with Parents in the Irish Dance Community

The best way to learn about Irish dance schools and each school's vibe is to speak directly with parents and students. Once you connect with parents in the Irish dance community, you have an opportunity to gain a better sense of each school's vibe. With few exceptions, parents and students generally reflect the attitude of the school with which they are affiliated.

As you can guess, some of the more competitive schools may have a greater population of parents interested more in competition than the craft of dancing than the fun their children experience. While your child's happiness is most important, you should also feel comfortable with the school you select.

Irish dance is an expensive hobby, and competition costs (including clothing, especially for girls) is especially costly. Competitors must furnish money for lessons, entry fees, travel, costumes and shoes. As a parent, you already have an accurate idea of how frequently your child needs new shoes. Other parents should also understand your concern regarding costs.

You should ask parents about:

• Costs and fees of school

• School expectations for attendance and dress requirements (most schools allow less expensive ballet shoes for soft shoe practice but call for ghillies for performance, saving on your costs)

• Frequency and times of lessons

• Expectation for outside practice

• Teachers and instruction methods

• Attitude of children in the class-do the students socialize?

• Practical accommodations such as locations and parking

• Class size-less students indicates more individualized attention

Take Your Child to a Public Event

Most schools require students of all levels to commit to semester or set amount of lessons at registration. This presents a commitment of time from both you and your child; it's also a significant financial investment on your part.

Gauging your child's interest in lessons is important for his or her happiness, regardless of who first proposed your idea. Judging your child's level of interest in lessons can be done by attending free or low-cost local events.

Consider taking your child to one of the following:

• Feis (judged dance competition)

• Renaissance faire or Irish cultural festival featuring dance exposition

• St. Patrick's Day parade including Irish dancers

Point out the differences in these settings. If possible, ask some of the dancers at competitions how frequently they practice and how many weekends are taken by competitions. Encourage your child to ask questions all about the risks and rewards of Irish dancing.

Parades often include troupes of various skill levels and faires typically include more expository dancing. Dance schools perform in these types of events to garner interest in the school and the hobby, so you and your child will likely have the opportunity to ask questions of the instructors and performers following the performances. This allows you to speak with a teacher directly.

Evaluate and Select an Irish Dance School

After you've gathered information about local schools, set up an appointment with a school of interest. Most schools will allow you and your child to sit in on beginner classes and meet the instructor(s). Before signing enrollment paperwork, have a private discussion with your child and remain aware of all costs and obligations.
Once your child begins lessons, don't forget to spread the enjoyment of Irish dance by inviting family members and friends to performances.