Topock, Arizona, is the kind of place drivers pass through without stopping—a railroad siding and Interstate 40 rest stop on the Colorado River with a permanent population you could count on two hands. There are no traffic lights, no downtown district, and certainly no Irish dance studios. Yet less than 30 miles south, in Lake Havasu City, the percussive thunder of hard shoes on sprung floors has become a fixture of the region's cultural landscape, drawing students from Topock, Needles, California, and across Mohave County.
The Closest Thing to Home
For families in the Topock area, McTeggart Irish Dance Academy in Lake Havasu City represents the most accessible path into the tradition. Founded in 2016 by TCRG-certified instructor Siobhan Doyle, the studio operates out of a converted retail space on McCulloch Boulevard and currently enrolls roughly 45 students, including several who make the half-hour drive from the Colorado River's north shore.
Doyle, who emigrated from County Cork in 2009, initially expected her student base to come from retirees and snowbirds. Instead, she found herself training competitive dancers who regularly travel to Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Southern California for feisanna—the Gaelic term for Irish dance competitions.
"I had a mother call me from Topock asking if we taught 'the Riverdance stuff,'" Doyle recalled. "Her daughter is now preparing for her first Oireachtas. We get kids from places you'd never expect. Distance isn't the obstacle people assume it is."
What Instruction Actually Looks Like
McTeggart offers a tiered curriculum beginning with soft-shoe fundamentals for ages four and older, progressing through hard-shoe technique, set dances, and ceili (group) choreography. Competitive dancers attend class three to four times weekly; recreational students typically come once or twice.
The studio's pre-beginner team placed third at the 2023 Southwest Regional Oireachtas in Phoenix, and two of Doyle's students qualified for the 2024 North American Nationals in Orlando. These are verifiable milestones—not marketing fluff—but they represent years of committed training rather than typical outcomes.
For adults, McTeggart runs a Thursday evening recreational class that emphasizes fitness and cultural connection over competition. Tuition ranges from $85 to $165 monthly depending on class frequency, with additional costs for costumes, shoes, and travel to competitions.
Beyond the Studio Walls
The nearest feis to Topock is typically the Phoenix Feis, held each March at the Arizona Grand Resort—a drive of roughly three and a half hours. The Las Vegas Feis in May and the San Diego Feis in June are also common destinations for regional dancers. For families in northwestern Arizona, competition weekends involve significant logistics: hotel blocks booked months in advance, early-morning wake-up calls, and the peculiar sight of curling irons and wigs in hotel lobbies at dawn.
Virtual instruction has partially alleviated the distance problem. Since 2020, Doyle has maintained a hybrid model that allows out-of-town students to supplement in-person instruction with Zoom sessions for choreography review and conditioning. Two of her current competitive dancers live in rural Mohave County and attend in person only twice monthly.
Why the Commute Makes Sense
Irish dance occupies a unique niche in the American Southwest. Unlike ballet or hip-hop, which are available in nearly every suburb, certified Irish dance instruction remains scarce outside major metropolitan areas. For families in Topock and surrounding communities, the drive to Lake Havasu City represents a calculated trade: geographic inconvenience in exchange for access to a globally standardized curriculum, measurable progression through grade exams, and a tight-knit community forged through shared travel and performance.
The cultural connection also runs deeper than choreography. Doyle's annual St. Patrick's Day showcase at the Lake Havasu City Aquatic Center draws approximately 300 attendees and has become a minor fixture in the region's spring calendar. For Irish-American families in Mohave County—and there are more than census data might suggest—it offers a rare public expression of heritage in an area better known for off-roading and spring break boating.
Getting Started
If you live in the Topock area and are considering Irish dance for yourself or a child, your realistic options are:
- McTeggart Irish Dance Academy (Lake Havasu City): In-person classes with competitive and recreational tracks. mcteggartlhc.com
- Virtual instruction through Riverdance Academy or Trinity Academy of Irish Dance: Nationwide programs that accept remote students for recreational learning, though competitive dancers eventually need in-person coaching
- Occasional workshops in Kingman or Bullhead City: Doyle and other regional instructors sometimes hold single-day intensives in these cities, announced through studio mailing lists and social
