In a renovated warehouse just off I-94 in Fargo, North Dakota, the percussion of hard shoes on sprung oak floors carries through walls that once held grain silos. This is Munich's Dance Oasis, the only An Coimisiún Le Rinci Gaelacha (CLRG)-registered Irish dance school in the state—and one of the most unexpected success stories to emerge from the American Midwest in years.
The studio takes its name from its founder, Margaret Munich, a Dublin-born dancer who spent three years touring with Riverdance before settling in Fargo with her North Dakota-raised husband in 2021. What began as outdoor lessons in her driveway during the pandemic has grown into a 4,000-square-foot studio that draws dancers from Minnesota, South Dakota, and Montana for weekly classes, intensive workshops, and major competitions.
Built During the Shutdown
Munich launched the studio in August 2021, teaching masked classes in her garage while permanent space was being renovated. The timing was improbable. Live Irish dance had gone dormant worldwide, with touring shows suspended and competitions canceled. Munich saw an opening: dancers in the Upper Midwest had long traveled to Chicago or Minneapolis for certified instruction. She bet that families were ready for a local alternative.
By spring 2022, the warehouse space was finished—complete with Harlequin自由 spring floors, a physio room, and a small retail closet stocked with Antonio Pacelli hard shoes and ghillies. Enrollment grew from 12 students in that first garage season to more than 140 by the end of 2023.
Who Teaches Here
The faculty combines competitive credentials with practical teaching experience:
- Seán O'Brien, TCRG-certified and a former World Championship competitor from County Kerry, leads the advanced competitive program and travels from Minneapolis twice weekly.
- Niamh Callahan, a Munich protégé who began as a garage-session beginner, now heads the adult beginner and recreational tracks while completing her own TCRG certification.
Guest instructors have included Colm O'Maonlaí (former Lord of the Dance lead) for a three-day masterclass in 2023, and Aoife Kelly, a Dublin-based choreographer who conducted a Zoom-inclusive set-dance workshop during a February blizzard that kept half the attendees home.
What Actually Happens on the Floor
Classes run Monday through Saturday, divided by age and ambition rather than rigid skill levels. Children as young as four start in soft-shoe reels and light jigs. Adult beginners—often parents who initially came to watch—have their own dedicated Tuesday evening section, where street clothes and borrowed shoes are explicitly welcomed.
The competitive dancers, roughly 35 strong, travel to six to eight feiseanna per year, from regional events in Sioux Falls and Des Moines to the North American Nationals and, for three qualifiers in 2024, the CLRG World Championships in Glasgow.
Beyond competition, the studio hosts two major social events annually: a March ceili open to the public, and a June showcase at the historic Fargo Theatre downtown. The 2024 ceili drew 400 attendees, with live music from the local Celtic group Prairie Gael.
A Community Tested by Disaster
In January 2023, a ruptured water pipe flooded the studio's second floor during a record cold snap. Classes were scheduled to resume in 48 hours. Instead of canceling, parents, dancers, and even alumni showed up at 6 a.m. with shop vacs, space heaters, and Crock-Pots of soup. The intermediate competitive class practiced their hornpipes in the dry downstairs studio while the upstairs dried out. No classes were missed.
That episode replaced any abstract talk of "family" with something more durable. The Oasis operates on a parent-cooperative model: families volunteer for costume maintenance, competition hospitality, and the annual fundraiser. Older dancers mentor younger ones through a structured "big shoe, little shoe" program. Several alumni now study at universities in the Midwest and return monthly to assist with classes.
Visiting the Oasis
Munich's Dance Oasis is located at 1427 1st Avenue North in Fargo, with free parking in the adjacent grain elevator lot. Drop-in adult classes are available without long-term commitment. Summer intensives and the annual guest workshop series are announced each March.
For class schedules, competition results, and workshop registration, visit munichsdanceoasis.com or follow the studio on Instagram at @munichsdanceoasis.
Keep dancing.
