• Ally Gavigan:
• 11 February 2014

Finding an Irish dance school

Do you know your An Coimisiún from your WIDA?

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Irish dance has grown exponentially over the last decade and there are many Irish dance organisations you can dance with. These organisations define the rules of competing, perform teacher accreditation, organise cross school competitions including national and world championships.They also define what dance steps are allowed and what the dress code is.

For new dancers this can be confusing. Which one should you go for?

We can't answer that question for you as it depends on what you want kind of environment you want to dance in and whether you are dancing solely for fun or want to get involved in lots of competitions.

In reality which organisation you join will largely depend on what governing bodies the teachers in your local area are affiliated with.

If you are looking for a school for your son or daughter then we would suggest you do an online search for local dance teachers in your area and talk to them to see what is the ethos of their school. What is the emphasis of the school and does this match what you and your child are looking for?

However if you are interested in learning more about the various organisations then the following list may be helpful.

An Coimisiún - Probably the most established governing body with branches around the world.

An Comhdháil - Large organisation with branches around the world.

W.I.D.A - Growing organisation with many branches across mainland Europe

C.A.I.D - A relatively new organisation (established in 2000) with branches mainly in the UK.

CRN - Open platform organisation with branches in Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, USA and Australia

CMFA - Largely based in the South of England

CRDM - Open platform organisation with most branches in Ireland

Have we missed any organisations out? Do you have any advice for new students about to choose their first school?

Join the conversation and let us know your thoughts!

We hope we don't need to say this but no organisation bashing please!

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