Opelika, AL (WRBL)- Irish Dancing showcases intricate footwork and incredible precision. It’s practiced all over the world, and there’s a place to learn it in East Alabama.
Celtic Traditions School of Irish Dance opened in 2009, and has been teaching people of all ages. In some cases this studio has helped opened the door to a new culture. Amanda Poole is the current head instructor and owner of the dance studio and loves introducing people to Irish Dance.
“I always find when we go to a performance or we go to do a demo somewhere there’s always people who didn’t know what Irish dancing is. That’s usually not the case for other dance forms. So it’s kind of nice to be able to show something completely new. And just educate them a little bit on this dance form and this culture. And just how much fun it is,” said Poole.
Poole fell in love with this style of dancing when she was just child. Today she continues to teach the dance style she loves to a new generation. Celtic Traditions teaches dancers from as young as three years old all the way up to adults. Some dancers decided to sign up for classes as a new hobby.
“We have adult only classes and there will be some people that come in with the specific goal of hey I want to get in shape. You know town my muscles a little more, maybe lose some weight and it’s great for that,” said Poole.
There’s also a group of dancers that compete around the nation, and around the world.
“We’ve gone to Ireland. We’ve gone to England, Scotland. Another dancer of ours when she danced at a previous school she’s been to Australia,” said Poole.
While the Celtic Traditions dancers compete on big stages around the globe, they love showcasing Irish dancing in their own community. During some shows they love getting the crowd involved as well.
“We love to go and do performances in the community. We also love to get the crowd involved and learn a step with us. That’s always really fun to be able to teach someone that’s never been able to see it before. But they want to get up and give it a try,” said Poole.
For more information about the Celtic Traditions School of Irish Dance, click here.
