Dance Class

Dance Class

Dance Class

Dance Class

Dance Class

Dance Class

Dance Class

HISTORY
O’Shea-Chaplin Academy of Irish Dance was founded in 1954 in Galway, Ireland, by champion dancer Rita O’Shea, ADCRG. Rita moved to the United States in the 1960s and continued to teach traditional and contemporary Irish dance full-time in the Boston area. Over the years Rita has taught thousands of children and adults, has helped many dancers become teachers and adjudicators themselves, and has maintained an international reputation as an accomplished choreographer, teacher, adjudicator, and examiner. In fact, many of the students Rita has today are the children or grandchildren of her first students!

Five of Rita’s former students have joined her as teachers at O’Shea-Chaplin Academy: Lisa Chaplin McAllister, ADCRG; Brenda Crossen Finn, ADCRG; Kathleen Boutin, TCRG; Maura Masterson, TCRG; and Sharon Reidy, TCRG. All are champion dancers who enjoy teaching dancers of all levels and ages, and they are certified and registered with An Coimisiun in Dublin, Ireland. We are thrilled to have such a team of accomplished teachers to carry on the O’Shea-Chaplin tradition and spirit.

PERFORMANCES
We love to share this important element of Irish culture with others. Dancers from O’Shea-Chaplin Academy perform throughout the year at parades, festivals, school events, hospitals, weddings, retirement homes, and corporate events. Some of our most memorable appearances have been at Celtics games, Boston’s First Night celebrations, the Chinese New Year Global Gala, the Irish Tenors, with Cherish the Ladies, and with Eileen Ivers of Riverdance.

Our dancers have been featured on local television programs, the Discovery Channel, and a number of Irish dance magazines. We have toured in the United States as well as Canada, Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Russia, performing our popular mix of traditional and modern Irish dance.

A number of our students have become professional dancers with Trinity Dance Company, Gael Force, Busch Gardens Dance Troop, Riverdance, and Lord of the Dance. At this time three dancers from New England are performing in Lord of the Dance, and all three are from our school: Aisling Nally, Scott Doherty, and Brian Doherty. We are so proud of Aisling, Scott, and Brian and all of their accomplishments! Keep up the good work!

COMPETITION
We believe that dance competitions, or feiseanna, are an important part of Irish dance and allow our dancers to showcase what they have learned and earn recognition for their accomplishments. We encourage all of our students to compete at a level that is comfortable for them, and our dancers attend local, regional, national, and international competitions individually and as teams.

Over the years our teams have captured many ceili, choreography, and drama titles, and we have been honored at the Massachusetts State House for these accomplishments.

In November 2007 more than 30 of our advanced dancers and 20 teams placed at New England Regional Championships in Stamford, CT. Several dancers won first-place titles at this major event.

In spring 2008 our student Kevin McCormack placed eighth at All Irelands in Killarney. Conor O’Brien placed sixth at Worlds in Belfast, and Scott Doherty placed fourth. Way to go, guys!

In July 2008 O’Shea-Chaplin Academy will take more than 25 of our championship dancers to compete at the North American Irish Dance Championships in Nashville, TN.