Teachers
Sean Kilkenny
BA, H.Dip in Education, TCRG.
Born in the east Galway parish of Ballymacward-Gurteen, Sean learned his first steps from his mother and older sisters and was highly influenced by local dancers in the sean-nos ( traditional ) style. At the age of 11 he joined the Anne O Loughlin School of Irish dance in Loughrea, Co Galway, and before long went on to enjoy the world of competition and performanceWhile living in Dublin during the 1980s he quickly made his way into the emerging Irish music scene.
Sean’s classes are lively, energetic and entertaining but at times demanding. Strong emphasis is placed on developing the appropriate style and technique associated with the modern authentic style of Irish step dancing. His broad aim is to inspire a love and appreciation in his students of this art form, at the same time encouraging them to work hard at the proper execution of its intricate moves.
In 2003, Sean, alongside Ann Gallagher TCRG and Mary Sweeney ADCRG, played a historic role in founding the Irish dance teachers association for Mainland European countries. This is the sole affiliate of the Commission of Irish Dancing in mainland Europe and beyond and it now has more than 40 registered schools in 30 different countries. Sean was Chairman of this organisation for the first three years of its existence and was instrumental in getting the first Oireachtas (Mainland European Championships and World Qualifiers) off the ground in Frankfurt, Germany in 2004.
Laura Lundy
BA
After completing her BA in Irish Music & Dance at the University of Limerick, Laura Lundy moved to Den Haag in 2016 where she joined the Kilkenny school, and began teaching alongside Sean. Since then, she has been training the dancers and choreographing the material. Laura encourages all dancers in the school to look at the possibilities of Irish Dance. How each dancer can put their own individual stamp on their material and where dance can go in the future. Now back in Ireland, Laura has recently finished up her Masters in Irish Traditional Dance Performance at the University of Limerick. She continues to teach online and is regularly flying over and back to Den Haag to give workshops.
