The Brennan-Lucey Irish Dance Academy is an Irish Dancing School that teaches classes in Connecticut, USA. Locations are in Fairfield in Fairfield County, CT and in Milford and Hamden in New Haven County, CT. Each Irish Dance class is taught under the instruction of Riverdance champion dancers and registered and certified TCRGs with CLRG Stephen Brennan and Meghan Lucey. Our teachers include a World Champion and National Champion and are proud to be the Principal Dancer and Dance Captain of Riverdance as well as performing in Lord of the Dance. The Dance Academy pulls students from Westport, Stratfrord, Southport, Wilton, Easton, Weston, Trumbull, Redding, Newtown, Seymour, Hamden, Orange, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Black Rock, Devon, Milford, Shelton, Ansonia, Woodbridge, Bethany, New Haven, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Wallingford, Cheshire, Meridon, Derby and Middlefield in Middlesex County. 

Intro to Irish Dance (Ages 3 - 5) 

Dancers at this level attend 1 class per week

 

This class is specifically geared towards our littlest dancers. Being only a half hour in length, it is best suited to keep the attention of our tiny dancers while being a lot of fun. We learn our Reel, basic dancing techniques, and how to count to the music while playing fun Irish dancing games with friends! What’s not to love!? This class is perfect for tiny tots to learn coordination, balance, cooperation skills, and musicality all while having fun with new friends! This is also a great first introduction class for anyone under the age of 9 to learn the basic steps and then transition to the Beginner class. As we focus on team-work and work towards creating a unity between the dancers, we require dancers to wear a Brennan-Lucey uniform (any Brennan-Lucey merchandise and/or all black) with hair tied back and proper Irish dance shoes.

 

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Beginner

Dancers at this level attend 1 class per week

 

This class is for dancers who are just starting out on their amazing Irish dance journey. This class is perfect for ages 5 - 12. We focus on learning the Reel, Light Jig and Slip Jig all while mastering the techniques of Irish dance and having a lot of fun in the process. We play Irish dancing games and work on the fundamentals of Ceili (group/team) dancing. The dancers (and their teachers) have a lot of fun! If your child hasn't Irish danced before, this is the perfect class to start to learn the fundamentals, then transition to the Intermediate class. As we focus on team-work and work towards creating a unity between the dancers, we require dancers to wear a Brennan-Lucey uniform (any Brennan-Lucey merchandise and/or all black) with hair tied back and proper Irish dance shoes.

 

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Intermediate

Dancers at this level attend 1 class per week

 

For those that have mastered the steps taught in the Beginner Class, this class is a fun, energetic and fast paced class. We fly through our Reel, Light Jig and Slip Jig each class and focus on the ever-enjoyable Hard Shoe dances like the Heavy Jig, St. Patrick's Day and Treble Reels. We also continue our education in Ceili dancing, focusing on teamwork, camaraderie, and form. Both proper Soft Shoes and Hard Shoes will be required in this class as the dancers continue to advance and progress. At this level, as we focus on team-work and work towards creating a unity between the dancers, it is required to wear a Brennan-Lucey uniform (any Brennan-Lucey merchandise and/or all black) with hair tied back and proper Irish dance shoes. As we work towards a focused learning environment based around team-work within the studio, we encourage parents to ‘drop-and-run’ from this level and up, allowing the dancers to learn and create without distraction.

 

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Primary

Dancers at this level must attend 2 classes per week

 

This class is perfect for dancers who have completed learning the material of the Intermediate Class with a firm grasp of both Soft Shoe and Hard Shoe dances. Dancers in this class are usually in the Beginner/Advanced Beginner level at competitions with some new Novice dancers as well. This class level requires dancers to attend classes 2x per week as we increase the complexity of our choreography and continue to focus on the athletic side of Irish dance, fitness, strength, and the more intricate details of traditional Ceili dancing. At this level there should be no leaving early for other sports practices, or coming late because of them; in order to fully grasp the new complex material we learn in this class your dancer must attend 2x per week for the full class time. We expect at this stage, dancing along the aisles of the supermarket won’t be too far from reality! At this level, as we focus on team-work and work towards creating a unity between the dancers, it is required to wear a Brennan-Lucey uniform (any Brennan-Lucey merchandise and/or all black) with hair tied back and proper Irish dance shoes. As we work towards a focused learning environment based around team-work within the studio, parents are required to ‘drop-and-run’, allowing the dancers to learn and create without distraction.

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Novice

Dancers at this level must attend 2 classes per week

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This class is perfect for dancers who have completed learning the material of the Primary Class with a firm grasp of both Soft Shoe and Hard Shoe dances. Dancers in this class are usually in the Novice level at competitions with some Advanced Beginners and new Prizewinner dancers as well. This class level requires dancers to attend classes 2x per week as we increase the complexity of our choreography and continue to focus on the athletic side of Irish dance, fitness, strength, and the more intricate details of traditional Ceili dancing. This class is usually where our competitive dancers will train for their first Oireachtas (New England Regional Championships) which happens every November. At this level there should be no leaving early for other sports practices, or coming late because of them; in order to fully grasp the new complex material we learn in this class your dancer must attend 2x per week for the full class time. We expect at this stage, dancing along the aisles of the supermarket won’t be too far from reality! At this level, as we focus on team-work and work towards creating a unity between the dancers, it is required to wear a Brennan-Lucey uniform (any Brennan-Lucey merchandise and/or all black) with hair tied back and proper Irish dance shoes. As we work towards a focused learning environment based around team-work within the studio, parents are required to ‘drop-and-run’, allowing the dancers to learn and create without distraction.

 

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Advanced

Dancers at this level must attend 2 classes per week

 

This class is perfect for dancers who have completed learning the material of the Novice Class with a firm grip of all of our Soft Shoe and Hard Shoe dances so far. Dancers in this class are usually in the Prizewinner level at competitions with some Novice dancers as well and/or are non competitive advanced dancers. We allow the dancers to create and grow, encouraging an interactive learning environment, as we constantly learn and master new choreography while having a lot of laughs in the process. This is a very fast paced class with a LOT of dancing! What’s not to love!? At this level there should be no leaving early for other sports practices, or coming late because of them; in order to fully grasp the new complex material we learn in this class your dancer must attend 2x per week for the full class time. Once competitive dancers at this level have earned all their firsts to move into the Preliminary Championship level at feiseanna they will move into our Championship Class, whenever in the dance year that may be. Our non competitive dancers will remain in this class as it is the highest level of classes you can reach should you not compete! Each year we will build upon our choreography and skills so never fear, our non competitive advanced dancers will always be learning and advancing in their dancing careers! At this level, as we focus on team-work and work towards creating a unity between the dancers, it is required to wear a Brennan-Lucey uniform (any Brennan-Lucey merchandise and/or all black) with hair tied back and proper Irish dance shoes. At this level parents are required to 'drop-and-run', allowing the dancers to learn and create without distraction. 

 

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Championship

Dancers at this level must attend 2 classes per week

 

This class designed specifically for dancers competing regularly in the competitive levels of Preliminary, and Open Championship all the way up to our World Qualifying competitors. This class is very technical with a strong focus on fitness; it's energetic, technical, exciting, and great exercise within a hardworking, yet fun, environment meant to thoroughly prepare dancers for competitions throughout the year. At this level there is absolutely no leaving early for other sports practices, or coming late because of them; in order to fully grasp the new complex material we learn in this class your dancer must attend 2x per week for the full class time. At this level, as we focus on team-work and work towards creating a unity between the dancers, it is required to wear a Brennan-Lucey uniform (any Brennan-Lucey merchandise and/or all black) with hair tied back and proper Irish dance shoes. At this level parents are required to 'drop-and-run', allowing the dancers to learn and create without distraction. 

 

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Adult (Ages 18+)

Dancers at this level attend 1 class per week

 

Our Adult Class is perfect for any and all ages and levels of dance. Whether you danced as a child, are looking for a new form of exercise, or just want to try something new and exciting, this class is perfect for you! Our Adult Class is filled with all ages, and levels of expertise and is great for exercise, technique and above all, it's great fun. These classes are attended by adults ranging in age from 18-75 and we welcome one and all no matter the age or experience. We are proud to be able to cater each class to each students abilities and so it truly is never too late to learn how to Irish dance - come and join in the fun!!!

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Ceili/Performance Team

This class is offered once per week based on class level and is taken in addition to your regularly scheduled classes

 

Attending the Ceili/Performance Team class is highly encouraged for dancers in the Primary level and up, including our adult dancers who have a good grasp of both hard and soft shoe! It is a wonderful addition to your regularly scheduled classes as we take a step back from competitive dances in this class and focus more on team and performance dances. Each week we will focus on both of the following:

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1) Ceili and team dancing. We will learn traditional and contemporary 2-Hand dances, 3-Hand dances, 4-Hand dances, and 8-Hand dances, focusing on team skills and team bonding. These teams can be performed throughout the year in our performances as well as local and National competitions!

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2) Performance numbers. We will learn performances pieces, perfect the ones we know, make up our own and also learn some of the dances from Riverdance!

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While everyone will always get a chance to perform year round, dancers who consistently attend this class will be at the top of the list for our performances throughout the year! We encourage any one who loves to perform to come and try this class to work on stage presence, performance pieces and traditional Ceili dances. This class is all about team bonding, enjoying the challenge of new choreography, learning the traditional dances and having as much fun as possible!!!

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Strength and Conditioning

This class is offered once per week based on age/class level and is taken in addition to your regularly scheduled classes

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The Strength and Conditioning Class is offered to both dancers under 10 and also a 10 and older OR Advanced/Championship Level dancers of any age. Yes adults are more than welcome to join! This class will focus on all sorts of strength and conditioning exercises specifically geared to maximize Irish dancing technique to make us stronger and better dancers! This class is HIGHLY encouraged for all dancers in the Prizewinner level of competition and up!

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*These class descriptions are basic guidelines and it should be noted that the teachers at Brennan-Lucey reserve the right to use 'teachers discretion' when deciding which class may be right for you or your dancers! We will, of course, take dancers and parents' input into consideration, just ask!*