Irish Dance
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Sept 2006
Hi, I'm looking for a class for my 4 year old that teaches Irish type dancing in the East Bay. There are some older recommendations in the archives but they all seem to be for SF or the Pennisula. Any suggestions? Thank you
McBride School of Irish Dance holds classes on Tuesday evenings in the Glenview neighborhood of Oakland, at 1318 Glenfield Avenue (just off Park Blvd). The class for new beginners starts at 6PM and ends at 6:30. You can visit the class any Tuesday and either watch or have your child join in to try it out. This is the best way to get information, because the people who run the classes work very hard and often don't manage to respond quickly to inquiries or find time to update the website. Heather, who teaches the new beginners, is remarkable -- patient and very sweet with the young ones, she sees each dancer as an individual and moves them along at just the right pace. And Annie McBride, who owns the school and has been highly respected in the Irish dance community for decades, makes sure her teachers use a more nurturing approach than many Irish dance schools do. We did not know how great Irish dance was going to turn out to be when we started (my daughter was six). For us it has been a great way to get exercise, central to a wonderful community of friends, and a real joy. Good luck to you Feis mom
Oct. 2003
Does anyone know of any Irish or Scottish style dancing classes appropriate for an 11 year old boy, preferably in the East Bay? My son has two years solid ballet training and is looking for new challenges to add on. Mom of Happy Feet
Here's a list of Irish Dance Schools. All of these schools perform at the top levels of irish dancing, both nationally and internationally:
BOYLE SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCING 2014 Palmetto Drive, Suite A Pacifica, CA 94044 Tel: (650) 738-2707 HEALY SCHOOL OF DANCE 2036 Taraval St., S.F. Tel: (415) 664-3247 & 461-0475 Santa Rosa, Novato, Mill Valley & Terra Linda locations KEENAN SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCING Sonoma County Tel: (707) 542-1367 [updated 2/2005 by Fidelma at keenanirishdanceschool.com] KENNELLY SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCE San Francisco, East Bay, South Bay Tel: (415) 665-0554 MURPHY IRISH DANCERS San Francisco/Colma/Millbrae/ Burlingame/San Mateo/Belmont Tel: (415) 587-7133 WHELAN ACADEMY OF DANCE San Francisco, Millbrae, San Mateo Tel: (415) 242 5177
Kathleen
Also recommended: Scottish Country Dancing
My girls have attended classes at the McBride School of Irish Dance for a number of years, and absolutely love it. There used to be weekly classes in Glenview. However, there was a fire in a building adjacent to the studio, and we have not returned. Since then, we've been attending classes at the main San Ramon studio, which takes a little over 20 minutes to get there on the weekend, but longer during the week given the traffic. They also offer a weekly class at the Lafayette Community Center, and in Pleasant Hill. Feel free to message me with any questions.