May 11, 2024
When 14-year-old Maeve Donnelly takes the stage at the Bellevue Irish Dance Festival each March, the crowd hushes before her hard shoes strike the floor. In the four years since she started lessons at the Cumann Rince Academy in downtown Bellevue, Maeve has climbed from beginner ranks to qualify for the 2024 Western Region Oireachtas—one of North America's most competitive Irish dance championships. She is not alone. Across the city, a tight-knit network of certified instructors and fiercely dedicated students is transforming Bellevue into one of the Pacific Northwest's most serious destinations for Irish dance education.
A Growing Scene, by the Numbers
Irish dance instruction in Bellevue was virtually nonexistent fifteen years ago. Today, the city hosts four established Irish dance schools with certified teachers holding the TCRG credential—the teaching qualification governed by Ireland's An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha. Enrollment across these programs has more than doubled since 2019, according to school directors.
At Cumann Rince Academy, director Siobhan Kelly reports a 40% enrollment jump between 2019 and 2023, driven partly by families relocating to the Eastside and partly by word-of-mouth after her students began placing at regional feiseanna (competitions). Meanwhile, the Bellevue Irish Dance Festival—now in its eighth year—drew roughly 2,400 spectators to Meydenbauer Center this March, up from 900 in its inaugural 2017 edition. The festival includes both traditional ceilí performances and solo championship rounds, with dancers traveling from British Columbia to Oregon to compete.
What Sets Bellevue's Schools Apart
The city's Irish dance teachers emphasize a methodical, cross-disciplinary approach rather than gadgetry. Kelly requires her intermediate and advanced students to take supplemental ballet classes to improve turnout and extensions. At the cross-town Ó Rian School of Irish Dance, director Colin Ó Rian—a TCRG and former Riverdance tour member—integrates tap fundamentals to sharpen rhythmic precision and syncopation.
Both schools also run structured injury-prevention programs, an area where Irish dance historically lags behind other athletic disciplines. Kelly brings in a sports physical therapist twice monthly to screen students for overuse injuries common to hard-shoe dancers: plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and stress reactions in the metatarsals.
"We're not chasing viral moments or tech gimmicks," Ó Rian said. "We're building durable technique and musicianship. If a dancer can't hear the tune in their own feet, the flashiest steps don't matter."
Two Dancers to Watch
Maeve Donnelly trains six days per week and placed sixth in her preliminary championship age group at the 2023 Western Region Oireachtas. She is currently preparing for the 2024 national championships in July. At 14, she already assists teaching beginner classes at Cumann Rince and choreographs her own soft-shoe reels in consultation with Kelly.
Daniel Okonkwo, 16, started Irish dance at Ó Rian School at age nine after watching a YouTube clip of Michael Flatley. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Daniel is now the first dancer from his school to earn a recall at the All-Ireland Championships in Dublin, placing in the top twenty of the Under-17 Boys competition in 2023. He credits Ó Rian's emphasis on live accompaniment—practicing regularly to a fiddler rather than recordings—for sharpening his timing.
"Daniel doesn't just hit the beat," Ó Rian said. "He plays with it. That's rare at his age."
What's Next
The immediate focus for Bellevue's Irish dance community is the 2024 North American National Championships, held July 7–13 in Montreal. At least eleven dancers from Bellevue schools have qualified across various age groups and levels. Locally, both Cumann Rince and Ó Rian School are holding open houses in late May and early June for prospective students interested in fall enrollment.
For class schedules, festival information, and details on the upcoming open houses, visit bellevueirishdance.org.
