McClanahan School of Irish Dance

McClanahan Dancers at Louisville Irish Fest

The 2008 Louisville Irish Fest will be held on the Belvedere / Riverfront Plaza on Saturday, September 13th from 11am to 9pm and Sunday, September 14th from 11am to 6pm. (Admission is $5. Children 12 and under are free!) McClanahan Dancers will be performing on the Main Stage at the following times:

  • Saturday, September 13th @ 4:00 and 5:30pm
  • Sunday, September 14th @ 2:00 & 3:30pm

    • The 2008-2009 Class Schedule, including an online registration form, is now available on the 2008-2009 Classes page!

    New to Irish Dance? A handy Beginner’s Brochure is available for download as an Adobe pdf file.

    About Our School

    The McClanahan School of Irish Dance began offering classes for traditional Irish step dancing in 1993. Now, over a decade later, we offer a full range of competitive & recreational classes to accommodate each dancer, from Beginners to Champions. Whatever the purpose, our main goal is to teach Irish step dancing in a positive and fun way.

    There are over 100 dancers enrolled from all over the Louisville and Southern Indiana area. Children are grouped by age in small classes for personal attention. Dancing not only continues an integral part of Irish culture, but also builds self-esteem, physical coordination and mental skills.

    In addition to competing on local, regional, national, and world stages, the McClanahan School performs throughout Kentuckiana at such venues as the Irish Rover, Molly Malone’s, Irish Fest, Kentucky Center for the Arts, and the Kentucky State Fair as well as at a variety of schools, senior centers, and nursing homes.

    The McClanahan School is a registered, certified school of Irish Dance taught by a teacher who is registered and certified, and subject to all the rules set forth by the Irish Dance Commission and applied through the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA).

    Staff

    Heather McClanahan Ackerman, TCRG, is certified by An Coimisiun le Rince Gaelacha ( the Irish Dancing Commission) in Dublin, Ireland and has over 25 years of dance experience. As a student of Mary McGing, TCRG, she qualified for and competed in the North American Championships, World Championships, danced for Gene Kelly, and went on tour in the former Soviet Union.

    Emily Major is a former competitive dancer and now an assistant instructor. She attends the University of Louisville where she is studying Sociology. Emily is also studying to receive her Irish dance teacher certification.

    © 2007 Mcclanahan School of Irish Dance