On a Tuesday evening at the McTiernan School of Dance on St. Clair Street, fifteen students line up in a mirrored studio, their hard shoes clicking in unison as instructor Fiona Doyle calls out a reel. The youngest is six; the oldest, forty-three. All of them are preparing for the same spring feis—a regional competition that, a decade ago, would have drawn only a handful of dancers from Huron City.
Today, the scene looks very different.
According to the Huron City Arts Council, Irish dance enrollment across the city rose 40% between 2020 and 2024. Three dedicated academies now operate year-round, with waitlists for beginner classes and adult sessions filling faster than organizers expected. What started as a niche tradition maintained by a small Irish-American community has become one of Huron City's most visible cultural exports.
From World Stage to Studio Floor
Doyle, 34, opened her studio in 2016 after competing for twelve years at the World Irish Dance Championships and touring with a professional dance company. She returned to Huron City—her mother's hometown—because she saw something unexpected: interest without access.
"There was enthusiasm, but no one teaching at the level students needed if they wanted to compete regionally or beyond," Doyle said. "Parents were driving their kids to Detroit or Ann Arbor. I thought, why not here?"
Her gamble paid off. McTiernan enrollment has doubled since 2019. Doyle now employs two additional instructors, both former championship competitors, and her students regularly place in regional feiseanna. But she is quick to distinguish between the competitive track and what she calls "the heart of the work"—teaching the cultural history embedded in the form.
"We're not just drilling steps," Doyle said. "We're talking about where this dance comes from, why the arms stay still, what the music means. That matters to people."
More Than One Studio
Doyle's school is not alone. The Huron City Irish Dance Academy, founded in 2012 on the city's east side, emphasizes recreational classes for children and seniors. Meanwhile, Céilí Collective, opened in 2021, targets young adults with social dance nights and collaborative performances with local musicians.
Together, the three academies serve an estimated 300 students weekly—a figure that does not include the outreach programs they run in Huron City public schools.
Since 2022, Doyle and McTiernan instructors have taught free eight-week units in four elementary schools, introducing roughly 800 students annually to basic Irish dance steps and music. Céilí Collective partners with the Huron City Historical Society for St. Patrick's Day programming, and the Irish Dance Academy performs at the summer farmers market on a monthly basis.
"These partnerships are how we keep the tradition alive outside our own walls," said Maeve Kowalski, director of the Huron City Irish Dance Academy. "If we're only talking to people already inside Irish dance, we're failing."
Who Shows Up—and Why
The growth has not followed a single demographic pattern. Parents enroll children for discipline and physical conditioning. Teenagers gravitate toward the competitive structure and the social networks it builds. Adults, increasingly, arrive seeking connection and exercise with cultural weight.
Rachel Okonkwo, 38, started beginner classes at Céilí Collective in 2022 after searching for an activity that did not feel like a gym workout.
"I wanted something with history, with people," Okonkwo said. "I didn't expect to get obsessed with the technicality of it. Now I'm preparing for my first feis. I'm terrified and completely hooked."
The pandemic played an unexpected role in this expansion. When studios pivoted to outdoor classes and virtual instruction in 2020, they reached students who lived too far away to attend regularly. Some of those remote participants eventually moved to Huron City or nearby townships. Others stayed connected through hybrid programming that academies have kept in place.
Challenges Beneath the Growth
The expansion has not been seamless. All three academies report difficulty finding and retaining qualified instructors with competitive credentials. Commercial rental space suitable for dance studios—requiring sprung floors, adequate ceiling height, and sound insulation—remains limited and expensive in Huron City. Doyle's school relocated twice in five years before securing its current St. Clair Street location.
Post-pandemic recovery also introduced complications. Supply chain delays for imported hard shoes and costumes pushed costs up for families. Some students who started classes virtually dropped out when in-person instruction resumed, creating enrollment volatility that studio owners are still managing.
"We're growing, but it's precarious," Kowalski said. "One bad lease, one instructor leaving, and the whole thing wobbles."
What Comes Next
Despite the pressures, the academies continue to push outward. Doyle's studio will add adult beginner classes this fall—a first for the city—after a
