On a Tuesday evening in downtown Everett City, 40 students ages 5 to 65 stamp out jigs and reels in three studios within a two-mile radius. Five years ago, there was one.
The growth is not anecdotal. Combined enrollment at Everett City's dedicated Irish dance schools has more than doubled since 2021, according to estimates from the studios themselves. What began as a niche offering has become a visible thread in the city's cultural fabric, driven by professional instruction, expanded programming, and a community hungry for in-person arts experiences after years of isolation.
The Studios Leading the Growth
Each of the city's three Irish dance schools occupies a distinct corner of the market, making the boom feel less like competition and more like collaboration.
Emerald Isle Academy, founded in 2015 by Siobhan Doyle, a former Riverdance touring member, operates out of a renovated warehouse on Mercer Street. With sprung floors and a wall of mirrors, the space accommodates roughly 90 students per week. Doyle built the academy on a traditional competitive model—students train for regional feiseanna (Irish dance competitions) and wear the embroidered costumes standard in the sport. "People assume Irish dance is just arms at your sides and fast feet," Doyle said. "But the discipline, the musicality, the storytelling—that's what keeps families here year after year."
Two miles east, Celtic Rhythm School takes a different approach. Owner and artistic director Colin Byrne opened the studio in 2019 after relocating from Boston, where he taught hybrid Irish-contemporary fusion. His Everett City location—above a bakery on Hawthorne Avenue—draws about 60 students and emphasizes cross-genre experimentation. Byrne's advanced students regularly incorporate modern movement and improvised rhythms into traditional set dances. "Everett City didn't have a space for Irish dance that could also speak to contemporary dancers," Byrne said. "Turns out, a lot of people wanted that bridge."
The newest arrival, O'Shea Irish Arts, launched in 2023 in the Riverside neighborhood. Founder Maeve O'Shea, a TCRG-certified instructor from County Cork, focuses on adult beginners and community performance rather than competition. Her eight-week introductory courses, priced at $180, have waitlisted twice since January. "I kept hearing from people: 'I always wanted to try this, but I thought I missed my chance at 30 or 40 or 55,'" O'Shea said. "We built the schedule around people who work full time."
From Classes to Community
The studios' influence extends well beyond scheduled instruction. Together, they organize the Everett City Irish Dance Festival, held each March at the downtown convention center. The 2024 edition drew an estimated 1,200 attendees over two days—up from 700 in 2022—featuring performances by all three schools, live trad music, and beginner workshops. This year's festival also included a sold-out céilí, a social dance open to the public with no prior experience required.
Individual studios have developed their own community programming. Emerald Isle Academy hosts quarterly family nights where students teach parents basic steps. Celtic Rhythm School partners with the Everett City Public Library for free demonstrations during Irish Heritage Month. O'Shea Irish Arts runs a "Dance for Seniors" class at a nearby community center, subsidized in part by a small city arts grant.
Margaret Chen, whose 11-year-old daughter studies at Emerald Isle Academy and whose husband takes O'Shea's adult beginner course, described the scene as unexpectedly central to her family's social life. "We have birthday parties with dance friends, we volunteer at the festival, we know the bakery staff because we stop there after Colin's class," Chen said. "It became our thing without us really planning it."
What's Next
The expansion shows no sign of slowing. Doyle plans to add a second competition-level class at Emerald Isle Academy this fall to accommodate a surge in younger enrollees. Byrne is preparing Celtic Rhythm School's first original showcase, scheduled for November, which will blend Irish dance with local musicians and visual artists. O'Shea, meanwhile, is in early discussions with the Everett City School District to pilot an after-school Irish dance program at two elementary schools.
Whether the draw is competitive ambition, creative fusion, or a long-delayed chance to try something new, Irish dance in Everett City has moved from novelty to institution. The feet are faster, the studios are fuller, and the community has shown it has room for still more.
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Published: May 11, 2024
