McTeggart Irish Dancers - Kentucky

We don’t know how the summer flew by so quickly, but we’re delighted to say… it’s back to dance school time!

Classes are back in Lexington tonight, August 11, and we kicked things off in Berea last Wednesday.

☘️ It’s not just our current students who get in on the fun — we’re also welcoming new dancers of all ages, from 3-year-olds through older adults, with FREE trial classes! 🎉

Curious about Irish dance? Come give it a try! Check out our schedule of upcoming free trial classes by swiping through this post, and learn more and sign up for your free trial here: https://www.kyirishdancers.org/free-classes

We can’t wait to dance with you! 💚☘️

We’re almost halfway to our goal! Please continue to share far and wide ♥️ Thank you so much to everyone who has supported our studio flood recovery already. Allison has shared with us that it will help so much and she’s overwhelmingly grateful. Likewise, the wider McTeggart Community is so thankful to be able to get back into our space and start up classes this week!

-Amelia

Donate to Support Kentucky McTeggart Irish Dance Studio Recovery, organized by Mary Ellen Lilly In late June, our city of Lexington got hit by massive storm… Mary Ellen Lilly needs your support for Support Kentucky McTeggart Irish Dance Studio Recovery

Amelia posting on behalf of several of our McTeggart community members who want to support our studio rebuild!

In late June, our city of Lexington got hit by massive storms. Sadly, less than one year after moving into a new studio space and building the entire space out, our new studio flooded. The wonderful community of McTeggart Irish dancers rushed into action to pull up the floors and remove all of the water. However, the dance floors in both our studios had to be dried and repaired. Even after insurance claims, our brave school owner, Allison Duvall, will have to pay out of pocket for a lot of the repairs. With a new studio build and then having to re-build the floors, our studio is in need of donations. This community is a safe space for so many dancers. Please consider donating to our dance school to help keep it up, safe, and running. Thank you for reading and for donating! Every little bit helps.

-Mary Ellen Lilly, Erin Carmody, Glenna Joyce-Welsko, Audrey Gale-Dyer and Amelia Maniscalco

Donate to Support Kentucky McTeggart Irish Dance Studio Recovery, organized by Mary Ellen Lilly In late June, our city of Lexington got hit by massive storm… Mary Ellen Lilly needs your support for Support Kentucky McTeggart Irish Dance Studio Recovery

Our second annual 🫐Bilberry Sunday🫐 celebration was pure delight:

🎶Amazing live house céilí band.
💃 Merchant Set, Lannigan’s Ball, Ballyvourney Jig, Bonfire Dance.
📖 We learned about Irish Bilberry Sunday traditions from 𝑬𝑫𝑾𝑰𝑵𝑨 𝑮𝑼𝑪𝑲𝑰𝑨𝑵 Sparks from the Flagstones.
🎂 “Cake Dance” variety show featuring 🎤 original song, 🎻 fiddle and 🥁 bodhrán, 🪈 flute duet and solo, 💃 dance duets and solo, 💪 one-armed push-ups from a very strong 3-year old, and 😆 silly jokes.

It truly was a lovely all-ages gathering of our wider music and dance community. Thank you to one and all for coming, to Miranda and Katie for all the behind the scenes work to make it happen, to the musicians, to the dancers!

Here's the dance list for our Bilberry Sunday Ceili! What dance requests do you have? We'll fit in as many dances as possible. Have your party piece ready to go too for the Cake Dance variety show! More info: https://www.kyirishdancers.org/bilberry-sunday

Dance List

Merchant Set
Connemara Set
Ballyvourney Jig Set
Lannigan’s Ball

🫐Bilberry Sunday is tomorrow! Join us Sunday, August 2, 3-5:30pm to celebrate the Irish tradition of Bilberry Sunday.

Bilberry Sunday is traditionally celebrated in Ireland on the last Sunday of July or first Sunday of August to mark the beginning of harvest season with the gathering of bilberries, small berries that are similar to blueberries.

Our celebration includes music, group dancing, a “Cake Dance” variety show, and a community potluck. More at link in profile

$10/person at the door - see you then!

Our first McTeggart summer group field trip was a success! It was pretty magical from start to finish - group hikes, World Cup final, dancing and music every day. Our kiddos on the trip studied fiddle and set dancing, with adults in tin whistle and set dancing as well. Families also got their own exploring in, from river cruises to national parks to distillery tours and theatrical dance productions. It really was a trip to remember!

The tentative plan is to organize McTeggart group field trips to Ireland on an every-other-year basis. Stay tuned for information about our 2028 field trip!

We can't wait to welcome prospective new students to our free trial classes in August and September! We have free trials for Wee Ones (ages 3-4), children (ages 5-12), teens (ages 13-17), and adults (ages 18+) in Irish dancing, and for children and adults in sean nós & set dancing. Register for your free trial at https://app.gostudiopro.com/online/mcteggartky. Questions or need help? Contact [email protected] or call/text 859-444-4JIG.

Our upcoming free trial classes (in Lexington unless otherwise noted):
• Sunday, August 16, 2:15-2:45pm – Wee Ones (Ages 3-4) – Free trial for Wee Ones 5-week session
• Sunday, August 16, 3:00-3:45pm – Foundations/Level 1 (Ages 5-7) – Free trial for ongoing class
• Sunday, August 16, 4:00-5:00pm – Level 2/3 (Ages 8-12) – Free trial for ongoing class
• Sunday, August 16, 5:45-7:00pm – Sean Nós & Set Dancing for Adults (Ages 18+) – Free trial for ongoing class
• Monday, August 17, 5:15-6:00pm – Intro to Irish Dance for Children (Ages 5-12) – Free trial for 5-week session
• Monday, August 17, 6:00-7:00pm – Intro to Irish Dance for Teens (Ages 13-17) – Free trial for 5-week session
• Monday, August 17, 6:15-7:15pm – Adult Beginner Class (Ages 18+) – Free trial for ongoing class
• Wednesday, August 19, 5:30-6:30pm - Sean Nós & Set Dancing for Children (Ages 7-13) – Free trial for ongoing class
• BEREA: Wednesday, September 2, 5:15-6:00pm - Foundations/Level 1 (Ages 5-7) – Free trial for ongoing class

🫐Bilberry Sunday is nigh! Join us Sunday, August 2, 3-5:30pm to celebrate the Irish tradition of Bilberry Sunday.

Bilberry Sunday is traditionally celebrated in Ireland on the last Sunday of July or first Sunday of August to mark the beginning of harvest season with the gathering of bilberries, small berries that are similar to blueberries.

Our celebration includes music, group dancing, a “Cake Dance” variety show, and a community potluck. More here: https://www.kyirishdancers.org/bilberry-sunday

$10/person at the door - see you then!

Our gorgeous U17 and U18s Esme and Emma put some beautiful performances on stage on the final day of the NAIDC. They showed all the fruits of their hard work over this season; it was thrilling to see. Can’t wait to see what the fall will bring! Congratulations, Esme and Emma. We are so proud of you!