Irish dance

Celtic Spirit Dancers is the only Irish dance school in Central Newfoundland. Dancers learn the very basics of irish dance including positions, promenade step, 7's, change points and hop backs. After the basics, choreography is taught for a variety of soft and hard shoe dances. Proudly a member of DanceNL & AAIDT (American Association for Irish Dancers & Teachers), Celtic Spirit Dancers are encouraged to participate in International feis for progress and challenge.

The dancers perform every opportunity they receive and are regular performers at community events & fundraisers. In addition, Celtic Spirit Dancers write and produce original musicals that are now an anticipated annual highlight for Central Newfoundland. The productions always ensure to develop and showcase all the talents within Celtic Spirit Dancers and include a variety of other dance genres in addition to singing and drama featuring a live band.

Celtic Spirit Dancers believes in developing the entire dancer; from technique to self confidence and fun- all within an encouraging and supportive environment! Whether the dancer wants to compete abroad, perform on stage or, for many of our adult dancers, who just want to get out of the house for an hour to kick up your heels, Celtic Spirit Dancers is the 'reel' experience.

Kristin Harris Walsh is a dance scholar and writer (PhD Folklore, Memorial and MA Dance, York) with training in step dance (Irish and Newfoundland) and ballet. She has written and presented extensively on dance topics in both academic and popular publications, primarily related to vernacular dance as a means of cultural expression and negotiation. She is currently researching and writing a book on dance schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, and next summer will embark on further research on the links between Irish and Newfoundland step dance. Kristin is active on dance boards, including DanceNL, Society for Canadian Dance Studies Advisory board, and the Dance Current Editorial Advisory board. She is currently Adjunct Professor and Project Coordinator at the MMaP Research Centre, School of Music, Memorial University of Newfoundland.