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Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance
Instructors
Katie Fitzpatrick, Owner
Katie Fitzpatrick is a certified Irish Dance teacher (T.C.R.G.) with An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (the Irish Dance Commission in Dublin, Ireland) and the North American and Mid-American Irish Dance Teachers Associations. After years of performing and competing, she taught for more than 10 years in the western suburbs and Chicago. She received her T.C.R.G. certification in Dublin in 2017 and founded the Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance in Lake Forest in 2022.
In addition to her Irish dance credentials, Katie is the Executive Director of Ireland Network Chicago. She holds master’s degrees in public policy from University College Cork in Ireland and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois.
Katie lives in town with her husband and two little boys.
"Irish dance is a gift that every child deserves."
Emma Mann, Teacher
Emma started Irish dance in kindergarten and remembers her first class very distinctly - she was instantly hooked! She continued to Irish dance competitively with Mullane Academy until her senior year of high school. During her Irish Dance “career” she competed in Oireachtas and National Championships in solos and went to three World Championships with ceili and choreography teams.
Irish dance was Emma's absolute favorite thing to do and she is still very close with several of the girls on her ceili and choreography teams. She very much appreciates the competitive nature of Irish dance and its welcoming environment that makes it so much fun.
Emma has a strong grasp of the fundamentals of Irish dance as well as what it takes to grow past the fundamentals to develop strong technique, stage presence and skill. She is also a trained Pilates instructor with a focus on health and wellness.
Emma lives in Lake Forest with her husband.
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"I am thrilled to share my love for Irish Dance with the next generation of dancers!"
