About us
Cascade Irish Dance is an independent Irish Dance school founded by Carlye Cunniff.
We want as many dancers as possible to experience the joy of Irish dance, continue Irish dancing past their competitive ‘prime’ (because that’s not a real thing), and have a supportive Irish dance community to come back to if they haven’t danced in a while.
We serve students of all ages and levels across the Pacific Northwest (and beyond!). We currently offer in-person classes in Bingen, Washington (in the Columbia River Gorge) and Wenatchee, Washington. Our online classes have students from around the Pacific Northwest.
Cascade Irish Dance was created for the love of Irish dance. We believe that movement is for everyone, and we're here to support dancers as they explore this wonderful art form in whatever way best serves the individual.
Whether you're a seasoned dancer or just lacing up your first pair shoes, our inclusive community is dedicated to helping you express yourself through the art of dance.
about our teachers
Carlye has been Irish dancing for over 20 years. In 2012, she founded the Seattle Irish Dance Company, the first professional performance Irish Dance company in the Pacific Northwest. She’s toured professionally throughout the US and Ireland, and has had the pleasure of performing with artists like The Chieftains, Gaelic Storm, Eileen Ivers and Old Blind Dogs.
Throughout her career, Carlye has been fortunate to bring the joy of Irish dance to hundreds of students. After teaching Irish dance for over 15 years throughout Washington and Oregon for various dance schools, school districts, after school programs, camps, and universities, Carlye decided it was time to make her passion for sharing the joy of Irish dance official, and founded Cascade Irish Dance.
Carlye brings multiple movement modalities to her teaching and curriculum. She brings extensive experience from other dance forms, yoga, and child development into her classes. She’s focused on helping dancers develop age appropriate movement skills, create confidence and trust in themselves, and foster the joy of artistic movement.
all bodies are welcome here
Cascade Irish Dance welcomes students of all races, genders, religions, cultures, ethnicity, nationalities, sexual orientations, background and abilities. We strive to make Cascade Irish Dance a safe place for everyone to learn, enjoy, and express themselves through movement.
FAQs
where are your classes?
Current in-person Irish dance classes take place in Bingen, Washington (near Hood River) and Wenatchee, Washington. We also offer online and hybrid Irish dance classes for intermediate and advanced dancers. If you are looking to start and Irish dance program in Washington or Oregon, please contact us.
what does it cost?
As an independent Irish dance school, one of our goals is to keep Irish dance affordable for our students. Our Irish dance classes cost about $50 a month for classes. As beginners, dancers don’t need to purchase anything to be successful in class. As students progress, they will need to purchase Irish dance shoes, and, if they choose to perform, may need a simple performance costume.
What should I wear to class?
Dancers should wear what they are comfortable in - as long as they can move easily. This often looks like a leotard and tights, or leggings or shorts and a t-shirt.
Please make sure your dancer has their hair pulled off their face and out of the way.
do I need special shoes? where do i get them?
This video explains the different types of Irish dance shoes.
Preschool Irish Dance, Beginning Irish Dance Shoe Requirements:
Bare feet are just find for beginning dancers. If your dancer wants to wear a shoe, ballet slippers or soft soled jazz shoes are great.
Irish I/II Shoe Requirements:
Black, soft soled dance shoes. These protect dancers feet and helps them get them used to dancing in shoes. Some easy options below:
Block Ballet Slipper Larger Sizes
Linodes Jazz Slipper with little kid/big kid sizes
Irish II Shoe Requirements:
Dancers will start learning hardshoe in class. They do need actual Irish dance hardshoes (not tap shoes) because the shape and feel of the shoes is different, and the technique they will learn is different than tap.
Here are some options for purchasing shoes:
Antonio Pacelli Essential Jig Shoe
Some folks also have success finding used shoes online. Once you know what size shoe your dancer needs, you can sometimes find them on Ebay or Facebook.
Things to note:
Irish dance shoes are funky, it's really common to get shoes, try them on, and realize they are the wrong size. Just make sure that you only try them inside on carpet so they don't get any marks on them, and they can be returned/exchanged for the correct size.
Shoes should fit snugly, with your dancers' toe just touching the end of the shoe. If you order them online and have them try them on, just make sure they only wear them on carpet and don't get any marks of them, that way you can send them back for an exchange if the size isn't right.
Hard shoes also take time to break in. Your dancer needs to have them on their feet A LOT. They do stretch out quite a bit, so they normally fit quite tightly at first (they are not super comfortable). You may want to consider getting your dancer a small square of plywood that they can make noise on so they aren't tempted to ruin your nice floors.
Irish III and Beyond Shoe Requirements
By this point, you and your instructor will have a good idea of what shoes you’ll need. It may be time to invest in Irish softshoes (called Ghillies), and you may have outgrown your first set of hardshoes.
are parents allowed to watch classes?
We find that are younger students (preschool and kindergarten classes) are more successful when family members don’t watch class. In our Wenatchee studio, there are viewing windows where families can watch from outside the studio.
Families are welcome to watch older students as long as students are not distracted.
We invite families of all students into our class on the last day of the term to see everything we’ve learned.
will i get to perform?
If you want to perform Irish dance, you’ll have opportunities to do so! All of our classes take part in an end-of-term family watch day, where we invite families to join our class and see the skills we’ve developed. Students in classes for ages 5 and up can also participate in recitals that take place at the end of the dance year. As students progress, there are additional opportunities for performance in their communities.
Cascade Irish Dance also has a performance team that students may be invited to perform with as they develop their skills. Our performance team takes part in multiple shows throughout the year, has the opportunity to travel for performances, and gets to dance with local and touring musicians.
Will I get to compete?
Competitive Irish Dance is not the sole focus of Cascade Irish Dance, but competition opportunities and support are available for dancers who wish to compete. Competition can be a great way for students to get a variety of feedback on their dance skills, can provide motivation for developing skills, and can be a wonderful way to make new Irish dance friends from around the world. That said, we understand that competition is not for everyone, and it’s never required. As an independent Irish dance school, Cascade Irish Dancers compete in open platform Irish dance competitions, which take place both online and in-person.
Are you associated with an irish dance organization?
No, Cascade Irish Dance is an independent Irish Dance School. As an independent school, we have more opportunities to perform, compete, and develop dancers in the way that best meets the needs of the communities we teach in.
I currently dance with another irish dance school, can I still dance with cascade irish dance?
Cascade Irish Dance welcomes dancers from any school, as we don’t have association rules as an independent Irish dance school. If you belong to another dance school, please check with your teacher before enrolling in class, as some organizations do have limitations on where you can take class.