About the program

Kate Spanos Irish Dance is for dancers eager to explore the rich diversity of Irish dance. Training emphasizes a solid foundation in traditional techniques while taking a playful, contemporary approach.

Join us to deepen your skills, broaden your understanding of Irish dance, and become part of a vibrant dance community. Whether you’re looking to develop your technique, explore new styles, perform, or simply enjoy the beauty of Irish dance, we offer a welcoming and inspiring environment for all.

Becky Hill and Kate Spanos dancing on porch
Photo credit: Human Being Productions.

Irish dance styles offered

  • Feis style

    Also known as competition or An Coimisiún (CLRG) style, this is the most widely recognized form of Irish step dancing today, featured in major competitions worldwide. We teach this style in a non-competitive setting.

  • Festival style

    This elegant style from Ulster province emphasizes grace, control, and musicality. Festival style is known for its slower slip jigs and set dances, focusing on expressing the "light and shade" of the music.

  • Show style

    Popularized by productions like Riverdance, this contemporary, virtuosic style combines traditional Irish dance with theatrical elements for stage performance.

  • Old style step dance

    This style celebrates the steps, musicality, and techniques that predate modern competition styles, highlighting traditional solo step dance styles from Ireland’s historic dancing masters.

  • Sean nós dance

    A highly musical and conversational style from the Connemara region, sean nós dance is characterized by its close-to-the-floor footwork, relaxed upper body, and improvisation.

  • Céilí and set dancing

    Céilí and set dances are Irish social dances that emphasize group formations, cooperation, and community participation.

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Services offered

Classes

Workshops

Performances

Kate Spanos Irish Dance offers weekly dance classes on Wednesdays at CityDance in Rockville, MD. 

Visit the classes page for more information.

We offer special workshops for schools, universities, or other community groups. These workshops can be tailored for beginners, experienced Irish dancers, or dancers from other forms interested in trying something new.

We are available to perform at various types of events, including community events, festivals, galas, weddings, or other special events.

Please contact us for more information about performance bookings.

Choreography

Céilí Calling

We are available to choreograph for theatre performances, wedding dances, and special events.

Contact us with your project needs.

Kate is an experienced céilí caller, calling regularly throughout the DC and Baltimore areas. She is available for weddings and other special events.

Learn more on the céilí page.

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About Kate Spanos

Kate Spanos is a dancer and dance scholar with a Ph.D. in dance and performance studies from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in traditional Irish dance performance from the University of Limerick. She began her Irish dance journey in 1990 at her local CCÉ céilís and the O’Neill-James School of Irish Dance in the Washington, DC region. She had a successful competitive dance career that led her to the World Championships in 2000. She also trained and taught with Carmel O’Rourke-Tighe in Charlottesville, VA, and Maria Oliver in Chico, CA.

Kate has studied various Irish dance styles, including competition/feis style, sean nós, old-style step dance, and festival style from Northern Ireland. She currently studies festival style with Lauren Smyth of County Down. Other notable teachers include Catherine Foley, Michael Ryan, Breandán de Gallaí, Colin Dunne, Jonathan Kelleher, Jimmy Smith, Padraig O hOibicin, Roisín Ni Mhainin, Máire Áine Ní Iarnáin, and Ruth Long.

With over two decades of teaching experience, Kate’s vision is to create a space for dancers interested in exploring the diversity of Irish dance, beyond the competition world, to gain a holistic understanding of the genre. Her program is strongly rooted in traditional Irish dance techniques but also encourages dancers to develop their own voices as performers and creators. She emphasizes playfulness while taking seriously the Irish dance tradition and its history. Her academic studies inform her approach to Irish dance and she gains inspiration from dancing masters over the past century who made significant contributions to the genre, both inside and outside of Irish dance’s larger governing bodies.

For more information about Kate, visit www.thekatespanos.com.

Kate Spanos headshot
Photo credit: Violetta Markelou.