I recently spoke to Joe Duffey of District Irish Dance Academy about
Washington D.C.’s first resident Irish dance school and the positive
effects Irish dancing is having on the community.
- What was it that first drew you to Irish dancing?
“Riverdance,” in one word. I saw “Riverdance” on video, particularly
Michael Flatly, performing in the 1996 version of the show. I was 6 years
old and I thought, “I have to do this.” I had tried other types of dance;
ballet and tap when I was really young. My parents got me into Irish
dancing classes when I was 6 and I was pretty much hooked from the start. - What advice would you give to aspiring young Irish dancers?
I would say just keep working hard, have fun and more than anything make
sure you’re enjoying it and having great experiences in every dance class
you attend. Always remember the reason why you’re an Irish dancer, why
you’re doing this: because of your love for the art form, that’s why anyone
does it. It’s infectious. The music and the steps themselves are just
… magical. It’s such a satisfying art form to be a part of. Just
having fun with it is the most important thing to remember. - What can Irish dancing teach children about the “real” world?
Any good dance class should teach things to kids related to hard work,
adopting a growth mentality and a positive perspective on developing a
skill. That’s something I try to make sure all of my kids understand: it
takes patience, it takes time, but the result is such a great thing to
aspire to. It’s more about the journey than it is [about] any individual
result you have, whether that be in a performance capacity or competitive
setting. In the end, what you’re left with is that journey. So more than
anything, enjoy the journey. - What do you believe makes District Irish Dance Academy unique?
We’re very new and I’m fresh off of touring the world with various Irish
dance shows including “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance,” so that’s
something that I try to bring – my unique perspective. The other certified
Irish dance teacher here, Bernadette Devereaux, she brings her perspective
also; we both toured together in “Lord of the Dance.” So we try to bring
that into the classroom directly. That’s something we stand apart on from
other schools, having had that Broadway, global touring experience with a
Grammy award-winning Irish dance show. We’ve seen this world of
professional dancing and we want to give dancers a taste of that in our
classes.We’re the first certified Irish dancing school to be fully based and
operated within the District. I try to make sure that the identity of
Washington, D.C. is uniquely represented in all of our classes. For Irish
dancing especially, it appeals to a wide range of students, ages and
levels; anyone can do Irish dancing. There is a multi-generational interest
in Irish dancing and I think that’s something special we can offer to the
community.
Do you think that Irish dancing is particular to multi-generational
interest?
I would say so because of things such as Irish salsa dancing and ceili
dance, [in] which historically in Ireland, everyone would get up and
participate. It’s all about getting together, friendship and community.
That’s the core of Ireland and we try to give that back to the District.
I’m really proud to be able to do that.
Is Irish Dance an activity you’d recommend parents to participate in
with their kids?
Absolutely. In fact, I highly encourage that. I try to offer classes that
are multi-aged, including a class I just launched called Celtic fit which
uses Irish dance-inspired fitness moves – think the Zumba of Irish dancing.
The first half of the class is really basic steps, you don’t need any
experience whatsoever, and the second half of class is learning a
traditional Irish ceili. I thought this would be a great way to bring in
people of all different ages and levels who’ve never done Irish dancing
before and might be interested in it. So Celtic fit, in particular,
encourages parents to attend with their kids, to get together with everyone
and have fun with each other.
Finally, what is one fun fact about Irish Dance that most people don’t
know?
Unique to Irish dance, [there are] two different kinds of dance shoes that
are used and that results in two very different forms within Irish dancing:
hard shoe and soft shoe. So it’s not just what people think of it as being
similar to tap dancing, that loud percussive sound. It can be more graceful
with a resemblance to ballet [because of] the soft shoe. With soft shoes,
there are no tips or heels on your shoes and [the dancing] is more about
the jumps and leaps.
If you would like to see members of the academy perform, come see their
St. Patrick’s Day performance at Union Market on Saturday, March 16th.
District Irish Dance Academy is currently enrolling students throughout
2019 and is offering beginner classes for ages 5 and up. For any
prospective new students, the first class is free. For more
information, please visit
districtirishdance.com.
districtirishdance.com.
