Popularity of Irish dance continues to grow

Since "Riverdance" appeared in the mainstream consciousness, Irish dancing's popularity has steadily increased. And the Las Vegas Valley is no different.

Dancers all over have been jigging their way to feis after feis (competition or gathering) to try their twinkle toes at regional, state and world championships. To compete, students must take lessons from a certified instructor, and to one family's frustration, they couldn't find one in Southern Nevada.

So, the Delgados jumped on the Internet and found Kate Kennedy, a certified instructor in Palmdale, Calif. For a year and a half, Rhea Delgado drove her son Frankie, 10, and daughter Victoria, 6, on an eight-hour round-trip twice a month to learn from Kennedy.

"Call me crazy. Parents do weird things for their kids. It was worth it," Delgado said. "At the time that we were ready to have him compete, there was no (certified) teacher here. That's why I started looking outside of the area, so he could start competing."

To repay her students for their loyalty, Kennedy began traveling bimonthly to the Las Vegas Valley a year ago.

"I traveled, when I was dancing, from Los Angeles to San Diego for lessons," Kennedy said. "At that time, he was the best teacher in town, and it was the closest he was."

Kennedy isn't the only teacher who travels to her students. Cecily Thompson Geraghty runs the Thompson School of Irish Dance out of Los Angeles and visits the valley every Tuesday.

"Southern California is saturated with Irish dance teachers," Geraghty said. "I wanted to go somewhere I liked and didn't have many Irish dance teachers. Because there was nobody out there, I felt it would be a good way to bring culture to the Irish community."

Both dancing since they were young children, Geraghty and Kennedy stress the importance of learning from a certified Irish dancing instructor.

"The main difference is the tradition. If you learn from a certified instructor, you get that tradition," Geraghty said. "I think with a studio teacher, you don't necessarily get that. You learn what 'Riverdance' is."

The teachers are managing studios in Southern California while traveling to the valley on a regular basis. Where Geraghty just quit her job as a computer programmer to run her 50-student school full time, Kennedy and her brother, Vincent, run the O'Connor-Kennedy School of Irish Dance with 450 students in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

"I had a goal once the school reached 50 dancers, I would quit working and focus my attention on my dancers and help them be the best that they can be," Geraghty said.

"You open the classes with a couple kids and it starts growing. It's amazing," Kennedy said. "I think they're fascinated with the footwork. I think it builds a lot of self esteem in a child."

Where the tradition of Irish dance was rooted in Irish culture, students of all nationalities are getting involved.

"Anybody can do it," Delgado said. "When you go to a feis, that was kind of refreshing to me. It was a wholesome atmosphere."

Frankie Delgado saw "Riverdance" on television at a young age and knew he had to learn, and his little sister followed in his tapping footsteps. The Delgados have a little bit of Irish heritage, but where the dancing hooked the kids, the environment hooked their mother.

"That's what he enjoys. To him, it's a sport. It's something he wants to do a good job at, and it's challenging for him. We just felt really comfortable with that," Rhea Delgado said. "It's been really great for the family. We've had a wonderful time. I've met some great families, and my kids have made some great friends."

"It's not really like any other kind of dancing. It's different from clogging. You don't move your arms around," said Frankie Delgado, who added dancing makes his legs stronger for hockey. "It has different steps. You put on this different type of tap shoes and do this little jig on the floor."

Instead of competitive clashes between dancers, Rhea Delgado has witnessed friendship. For her son, it's all a part of learning Irish dance.

"Even if you don't place, it's worth it going over there," said Frankie Delgado, who will compete in the Western Regional Championships in San Francisco in November. "You go on stage, smile and just have fun, and all that counts."

Where Frankie is interested in the athleticism and competition, his mother sees the lessons dancing has taught him such as tenacity and responsibility.

"I think that is helping him in other areas in school," Rhea Delgado said. "So, I think what that brings across to him is to do his best and work at something hard. I don't think it can help but spill over. It's part of who he is."

Kennedy and Geraghty teach all ages ranging from around age 5 to seniors and are currently accepting new students in the area.

Those interested in the Thompson School of Irish Dance can call the A to Z Dance Studio at 230-1079 or visit the Web site at www.irishstep dance.net.

Those interested in the O'Connor-Kennedy School of Irish Dance can call 658-2574 or visit the Web site at www.irishdancing.net.