Frequently Asked Questions

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Traditionally, we learn two styles of dancing- soft shoe and hard shoe. This means dancers have two pairs of technical shoes for dance class; ghillies/reel shoes (soft shoes) and jig shoes (hard/heavy shoes). Dancers are not required to obtain the correct shoes right away and can dance in black ballet flats or black jazz shoes. Rowan Fae does have a shoe library where used shoes are available to borrow. 

You can purchase shoes here: https://www.dance.irish/ email amber@rowanfae.com for a discount code.

Open platform Irish dance is open to any Irish dancer regardless of affiliation or lack of affiliation. Some Irish dance groups or schools are affiliated with federations that are open only to their own members. Rowan Fae Irish Dance Company is a member of CNRG. CNRG hosts Irish dance competitions in the UK and Ireland. Any Irish dancer, regardless of affiliation, is welcome to compete in CNRG feisianna and any feis hosted by Rowan Fae Irish Dance Co. We are their first American group/school and will organize a dance trip to compete in the UK or Ireland.

Rowan Fae Irish Dance Company has performances year-round. We are especially busy during March due to St. Patrick's Day. We normally do 15-25 shows in March alone, all locally. During March we primarily preform for retirement or memory care communities. Throughout the year we dance at Irish Fest, Kent International Festival, Renton Multicultural Festival, NW Folklife, Seattle Storm half-time show, and more! 

There's a long tradition of wearing intricate dresses and suits for Irish dance. Women and girls would curl their hair or wear a wig. We found that this tradition excluded dancers because the dresses and wigs are expensive, and we don't all have time to curl our hair. Furthermore, not all of our dancers show their hair due to religious reasons, so they get to wear the head covering of their choice with their costumes. Everyone should feel comfortable and confident while performing.  Costuming is a long process managed by our costuming director. They ensure each dancer is comfortable and that costumes are affordable and accessible. 

We welcome everyone who wishes to participate. If you're an adult who has never done a day of Irish dancing in your whole life, we've got you covered. Are you or your child neurodivergent? Come on down and join us! Do the days on the schedule not work for your family, let us know, we offer one on one lessons during the week. Don't fancy dancing all the time, but want to share your musical gifts or your talent for storytelling? There is a place for you here and in our performances. There are even ways to include people who use mobility aids. We understand that Irish dance is entirely about footwork, however, we break tradition every day. We do not have to use traditional steps to convey the stories told by Irish dance, all bodies are equally valid to our art. We incorporate wheelchair users into our choreography, this can be MORE labor-intensive than Irish dance!  We also utilize other forms of dance like ribbon dancing and movements not traditionally seen in Irish dance-like arm movements. For our dancers using mobility it does require extra planning and collaboration outside of class to ensure comfort, equity and safety. 

Irish dance is what is brings us together, but our community is why we stay. 

Text Amber for more info 425-633-4332