FAQ's

Where are your Irish dance classes held and how much are they?

- Our Irish dance classes are held in Cramlington, situated in south Northumberland. Beginner lessons are free and advanced lessons are £5 per lesson paid in monthly blocks in advance via our PayPal account.

What Irish dance organisations do you compete at?

- We are a proud member of The Open Platform Irish Dance Federation (OPIDF) and we are an 'Open Platform' school which means we compete at more than one organisation. We enter competitions in our own organisation (OPIDF), World Irish Dance Association (WIDA), Croí Neamhspleách Rince Gaeilge (CNRG) and Cumann Rince Náisiúnta (CRN) to name a few. We don't send competitors to "closed organisations" like An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) or An Comhdháil na Múinteoirí le Rincí Gaelacha Teoranta (“Comhdháil”) as these org's are only open to their respective dance schools.

Do you enrol complete beginners at your Irish dance school?

- Yes we do enrol complete beginners to Irish dancing but our Irish dance classes are dynamic and fast paced and all our Irish dance students are expected to keep up with the class. We do however recognise that you need to be able to walk before you can run and due to popular demand we have recently added slower paced, beginner Irish dance lessons to some of our Irish dance class locations to cater for our Irish dancers that may need a little more time to perfect our basic choreography.

Are your beginner classes really free?

- Yes, absolutely free of charge. For the first year of dancing with Rebel Irish Dance lessons for beginner dancers is completely free. We're not in it for the money but for the love of Irish dancing and we want to help spread our enthusiasm to others without a whole heap of expenses.

At what age do you start taking students?

- For complete beginners we take budding Irish dancers from the age of 4 years old as long as they can stay in a room without a parent or guardian present during our Irish dance lessons. For intermediate and advanced dancers we'd need to arrange a "behind closed doors" audition for children of any age.

I am an adult dancer, can I join Rebel Irish Dance?

- Absolutely YES. There is no upper age limit for dancers at our Irish dancing classes. As long as you are committed and prepared to put in the work you are good to go.

As a parent, can I sit and watch your Irish dance lessons?

- We do not allow parents or guardians in the dance studio while we are coaching because we find that it distracts the dancers from the task at hand. We find our dancers are more focused on the instructor and will perform better with fewer people in the studio.

Can I simply turn up at a class and dance?

- Unfortunately not. Joining our Irish dancing classes is by appointment only. We believe in small class sizes and we don't take on board every dancer who enquires about our classes. You'll need to arrange a free "taster session" first if you are a complete beginner OR a "behind closed doors" audition for an advanced competition dancer.

How do I sign up for a free taster session or audition with Rebel Irish Dance?

- To join Rebel Irish Dance, contact us and tell us more about your Irish dance background (if any) and where you are located in the Northumberland or North Tyneside area. We will find a dance class that fits your ability and is close to your location. We also will send you a registration form to bring with you to your first Irish dancing lesson. If you are already an Irish dancer dancing for another Irish dance school and you wish to join our elite competition team, you'll need to arrange a behind-closed-doors audition with us before a formal offer will be presented to you.

My child is a little shy, can we try an Irish dance lesson before joining?

- At Rebel Irish Dance we encourage any interested dancer to contact our team and arrange a time to try a class for free. As parents ourselves, we understand that children need time and encouragement and should be allowed to have that before making a decision to join our class. There is no commitment or pressure, as our beginner Irish dance classes are all about fun and a positive dance experience for your child.

What does a new dancer need to wear at dance class?

- For the first few lessons girls and young ladies should wear bike shorts or leggings and a t-shirt, white socks, and 'ballet' type shoes if you have them (if not, socks are OK). Boys and young men should wear football-style shorts and a t-shirt, black socks, and black 'ballet' or jazz shoes (not tap shoes) if available - if not, socks are OK. For the purpose of coaching 'correct' technique it is important that our team is able to have an unrestricted view of the dancers legs, knees and feet. Any clothing that will restrict this view or that will inhibit free movement of a dancer is not appropriate for our Irish dancing classes. Later on after a few lessons a green class t-shirt and correct Irish dancing soft shoes are required for all dancers.

Does a Rebel dancer have to compete at competitions?

- Participation at competitions (known as a 'Feis' in Irish) is encouraged but not mandatory. We are on the whole a competition oriented Irish dance school, but we understand that competitions are not for everyone and we respect dancers decisions to compete or not to compete. The choice firmly rest with the dancer.