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Students at the Culkin School learn Irish dance from a talented and dedicated group of instructors.


Instructors

The Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance is fortunate to have the largest and most experienced teaching staff in the Washington/Baltimore area.  With more than 175 years of combined experience and five certified instructors, our staff ensures that each student receives individual attention and instruction.

The experience our instructors bring to the school -- from competing at the regional, national and World Championships to learning Irish dance as an adult -- provides all of our students with a wide base of knowledge.

 

 

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Sean Culkin, TCRG
Director

Sean began Irish dancing at the age of 6 with Peggy O'Neill, ADCRG. In 1995 he earned his TCRG and began teaching adults. He founded the Culkin School of traditional Irish Dance in April 1997. In addition to being director, he is the main instructor for many classes.
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Nicki Sack, TCRG, ADCRG
Artistic Director

Nicki learned Irish Dance at the age of nine from Theresa Burke of the Burke School in Pittsburgh, PA. She  qualified several times for the World Championships, competing in Salthill, Ireland in 1988. She has been teaching at the Culkin School since 1997. In addition to instructing she choreographs competitive steps for championship level dancers.
Caterina Earle, TCRG
Caterina also learned Irish Dance from Peggy O'Neill, ADCRG. She began teaching at the Culkin School in May 1995. She is the instructor for the Adult Beginner, A and B classes and coordinates the adult performance schedules. She also substitute teaches in other classes as necessary.
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Megan Howard, TCRG
Megan has studied with Sean Culkin since 1996 and was one of the first adult students when the school opened in 1997. She was a member of the Culkin Southern Region Championship ceili teams and has choreographed dances for shows at the Kennedy Center and throughout the area. As an instructor, Megan works with both children and adult students.
Bridget Launi, TCRG
Bridget is another student of Peggy O'Neill, ADCRG. She was Sean's two-hand reel partner in competition.

Assistant Instructors

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Kate Bole
Kate began Irish dancing at the age of seven with the Burke School in Youngstown, Ohio, and has qualified for the World Championships four times, competing in Belfast in 2006. She has also studied with the Cannon School in Cleveland and taught adult classes at John Carroll University.  Kate joined the Culkin School in 2002, where she is currently a championship-level competitive dancer.
Megan Moloney
Megan is a championship-level competitive dancer, figures choreographer and webmaster at the Culkin School, where she has studied for the last nine years. She assists with the Adult Classes in Bethesda and coaches the adult Oireachtas and Nationals teams.

Denise Olive
Denise began dancing at the age of four with the Gray School in Connecticut. She danced at the championship level for 7 years, placing in the New England Regional Oireachtas and qualifying for the North American chamionships. During college, she was an assistant instructor for the Gray School. In 2005, Denise joined the Culkin School, where she currently competes with the award-winning adult figure teams.

Ed Parmelee
Since joining the Culkin School in 1997, Ed has competed as an adult dancer, earning two Southern Region Ceili Championship titles. He has also served as chairman of Feis Culkin since its inception. Ed assists with children's classes and figures teams.
Jen Rittenhouse
Jen is an assistant instructor for the Rockville classes who danced at the championship level.  She is currently in the process of obtaining her TCRG.
Jen Smith
Since joining the Culkin School in 1997, as one of Sean's first students, Jen has competed at the regional and national level. Currently a championship level dancer, Jen is a senior at George Mason University and assists with a number of classes.
In addition to these instructors, student volunteers assist teachers to maintain a low student/teacher ratio and provide appropriately challenging steps for all students. The volunteers compete at preliminary championship level or above.

 



 

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