O’Riada-McCarty-Manning Academy of Irish Dance prepares for a busy season.
In March, students from O’Riada-McCarty-Manning Academy of Irish Dance can be seen dancing all over the metropolitan community from Paola in Kansas to the Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Kansas City. There are Sporting KC performances as well as dancing as part of The Elders’ 11th Annual Hoolie at the Uptown Theater on March 17. The bulk of March and April are busy. Then toward the end of April, there’s a feis in Little Rock, Ark. Kansas City’s’ feis runs the weekend of Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, during the Kansas City Irish Fest.
Co-Directors Emily Fuchs McCarty and Joseph Manning took over the academy when Christine O’Riada returned to her native Belfast. Both danced for O’Riada and cherish the move to pass the school to them. “I was a teaching assistant under Christine. She passed all the necessary exams for certification in 2008. “I have been dancing since I was 9 years old,” McCarty says. “I saw O’Riada during the Brookside parade and I told my mom that I wanted to try. I started with one class a week. It was not about competition, but about three to four years after lesson, I started traveling all over for competitions.” McCarty placed 27th in the world. Manning’s story mirrors McCarty’s. He started at 9 years old and marked 20 years of dancing in February. He placed fifth in the world during his competition days. “Three years ago in September, right after the Irish Fest, we took over the school.”
Because both Manning and McCarty danced as children and teens, they understand the passion necessary as well as the need for opportunities to dance. “From dancing, I gained the art of discipline and I learned to set priorities early on. I knew if I wanted something, I had to work hard to get it. Initially I was going to be a baseball player; that was my passion. Some of my cousins performed. My parents singed me up to dance. By the third week, I was ready for class before I needed to be and I never looked back,” Manning says.
At the academy, classes start for toddlers just to get them moving. The first level requires on soft shoes and then with the second level on, hard shoes come in. McCarty says the teachers, assistants and students support each other. “Whether it is participating in competitions or in parades, we want to help kids reach whatever goals they set.” There are two adult classes where students range in age from the early 20s to the mid-70s. We also have a homeschooling program.” Schools are located in Westwood in Kansas, Leavenworth, Lawrence and Lee’s Summit.
McCarty says, “It is a fusion of sport with the artistic side of dance. There is incredible discipline to reach the top levels. There is precision and a body alignment that is similar to an athlete. Think about Riverdance and the matching foot work where 20 dancers are doing the same movement. We push our students for that precise look too.”
Both teachers look forward to March with the many performances. The two see an increase in interest in Irish dancing after St. Patrick’s Day and then again after the Irish Festival. “Sometimes, it’s simply exposing people to what we love that draws folks in,” McCarty says. “We really try to have performances that incorporate old dance steps with new ones. I joke with the kids in class that they have to show their joy on their faces. ‘Get the jumps high because you love doing your very best.’ Irish dancing can be so interactive with each other and with the audience. I encourage the dancers to sweep the audience away with them.”
Even McCarty and Manning make sure the connection with the generations before and the Irish dancers all over the world reach into their school. “Whether you are in Ireland or here, the dances are the same such as the jigs and reels. When they understand that, the experience is deepened. It’s the core and heart of Irish dance.”
Manning has never had problems being male in the world of Irish dance. “There are about 100 girls to every boy. Some of these great traditional dances are so integral to the culture and history. It all goes hand in hand as a cultural and athletic art form. Simply put, it’s an amazing art form. Irish dance is what every other dance form wishes it could be.”
Molly, Maureen and Maeve Burns are three sisters dedicated to Irish dancing. That’s about where the similarities end. They can help each other with steps, but the three have tried to dance together and according to the girls, it did not end well. “We are simply too different,” says Maureen, an 11-year-old sixth-grader.
Eighth-grader Molly says her strength lies in hard shoe dancing because she feels she has a sharper dance style and Maureen likes the feeling of flight she achieves with soft shoe dancing while youngest sister Maeve, a 10-year-old fourth-grader, has combined the best of both worlds. “I like soft because I feel more graceful,” she says.
As the oldest, Molly started as a kindergartner. Her mother, Mary, had a roommate at Rockhurst University who danced and Mary knew she wanted to at least expose her daughters to Irish dancing. “We found O’Riada and initially we wanted a low-key experience. It’s more competitive, but we have all ended up loving it,” Molly says. Mary, the girls’ mother, knew of Christine O’Raida and her school and at the time her daughters started, it was the only school in town.
Molly has recently received her solo dress after moving through the ranks of beginner, advanced beginner and »»
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novice. The prize winner now finds herself in many competitions. Mary says O’Riada-McCarty-Manning Academy of Irish Dance, as with other schools, has its own set of rules and benefits. Molly earned a first place in a novice competition. “The girls strive for this because the dress is an investment,” Mary says.
“I had no idea about the discipline required. I thought the girls would be in something more like a community dance school, but then the girls really fell in love and we have all made it a priority,” says Mary, the girls’ mother. Brian, the girls’ father, says Irish dancing has generated more family time. “We attempt to visit cities and spend extra time there. We are fortunate that the girls enjoy dance. I don’t understand the dances, but I love to attend the dance competitions and cheer on my daughters. The practice is year round; it’s a commitment.”
When a competition rolls around, the Burns home is full of nervous energy. Maeve says they are always practicing. “Our parents don’t let us look at the results after we dance,” Maureen says. “We are representing the academy. It’s important that we don’t get upset.” The O’Riada-McCarty-Manning Academy also is represented by black, white and green outfits that unite the team. Mary says she wants the girls to dance for the pure joy. “Their mood can obviously affect their next dance. I want them to be more ‘oblivious’ to the scores. They all want feedback so they can improve their technique.”
Maureen likes that she can be proud of not only her Irish heritage, but the ability to dance. “In social studies, we have danced. I can say that this is part of my culture. We are Irish through and through.” Both parents have Irish heritage. “Some people think the dancing is something from a long time ago,” Molly says. “However, Irish dancing is alive and we aim to make it look like an art.”
Chiefly, the girls have gained intrinsic gifts from Irish dance. Mary says her daughters can be proud of their unique art form, of being Irish and that their culture is not just St. Patrick’s Day. “Irish dance is a form of expression they love. They have also gained discipline that extends into school and other activities,” Mary says. Molly says she has gained friends; persistence as she puts her mind to accomplishing new steps; and time management as she has learned to balance school work with dance practice. Maureen says dance has helped her improve focus while Maeve feels more confident.
