About the Academy
The O’Malley Irish Dance Academy is dedicated to promoting Irish culture and tradition through dance. The students include men and women ranging in age from 3 1/2 to 65+! They have been very active in the Marine Park community of Brooklyn, NY, and the Breezy Point community in Queens, appearing at many fund-raisers, parades and parties. Performances include such venues as Shea Stadium, the Great Irish Fair and as an opening act for Black 47 concerts.
Many of the students represent the Academy at various feisianna (competitions) and are quite successful.
Fun is had by both children, teens and adults. Many of whom enjoy performing in many of our shows and in local, regional and national competitions. Members of our adult classes have also competed and won in many of the feisianna and are currently preparing to compete again in the Mid Atlantic Region championships where they have been victorious in the past. Of course, competition is only for those who wish to learn at that level. Many of our students simply enjoy learning new steps and dances at our classes every week.
Academy Motto
Enjoy yourself! It doesn’t get any simpler.
Enjoying the dancing is the main thing I want my students to walk away with each week after class.
One very important message I try to get through is that when competing, even against others from their own school, the students never let winning get in the way of our friendships. I remind them that a win for our school is just that, and we all share in the victory.
I feel at times that it is easy to lose sight of what Irish dance is all about. It is there to remind us of who we are and where we come from, to help us take pride in our Celtic heritage and to promote our culture to the world.
After that, everything else is secondary!