Prairie North Dance is opening its doors and offering Irish dance lessons for a second year. If you are looking for a new activity that combines activity and culture this fall and winter, contact Lacey Blowers of Prairie North Dance.
Blowers owns the Irish dance school and operates Prairie North Dance and will be teaching out of Quantum Dance Academy in Stonewall. She hopes to grow her classes even more this year and is looking for boys, girls, and adults who want to jig their way into Irish Dance.
“I have a long history with dance and was a competitive Irish dancer myself,” the young entrepreneur explained.
Since Blowers was young, she has dreamed of having a dance school of her own, and in 2023, that dream became a reality.
“I wanted to put together a program that my own kids could be a part of,” said the mother of five.
After ten years as a professional educator in the public school system, Blowers decided to establish a school of her own.
Prairie North Dance is one of Manitoba’s three Irish dance schools. It focuses on a curriculum that builds upon the foundation to create a mentally and physically healthy dancer.
Blowers designed the curriculum herself and prioritized the health and well-being of her dancers.
“You should be able to dance all lifelong with no injuries,” said Blowers.
She noted the importance of feeling physically good in your body while dancing.
Blowers was introduced to Irish dancing in 2002 when she attended the Irish Folklorama pavilion and saw a live performance of Riverdance in Winnipeg.
“I remember saying, ‘I want to do that!’” added Blowers.
She quickly became addicted to the art of Irish dancing and has since trained worldwide, including with Riverdance lead choreographer Colin Dunne.
Now, Blowers can share her passion of Irish dancing with people of all ages in the Interlake.
Prairie North Dance first opened its doors to dancers in Balmoral but they will be hosting their classes in Stonewall this year.
“Quantum Dance Studio is phenomenal to work with.”
Blowers commented on the studio’s excellent facility and kind staff, adding, “It is a really lovely business relationship.”
While Blowers was hesitant about moving to Stonewall, Prairie North Dance families have offered their full support for the relocation.
Since Stonewall has many other services in town, families can run errands while their children are in class.
Blowers hopes to one day be able to coordinate a multi-genre dance showcase featuring all of the dance schools in the community as she values community connection.
Despite Prairie North Dance only being established last year, the school has already seen success on the stage.
“By the end of the year we had a few students ready to compete,” Blowers explained. This was a surprise as she expected only to be instructing the beginner basics of Irish dance.
To an even bigger surprise, dancers competed at the competition after a two-and-a-half-month break after Blowers broke her toes and ended up in a cast.
“I’m a one woman show so there was no one else to lead the classes,” she said.
In June, Prairie North Dance attended the Rockwood Festival of the Arts and the McConnell School of Dance Irish Dance Championships.
Blowers noted the tremendous efforts and dedication given by the students and is excited to see where their dancing takes them this year.
Prairie North Dance has classes for all ages. Starting as young as five years old, Blowers is open to having dancers up to age 100.
“In Ireland, you can see men and women over the age of 80 jigging.”
Blowers begins each class with a warm-up, followed by dance technique exercises. Then, dancers learn choreography to share with visitors at the end of the class.
“Last year we created an Irish dance version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller,” added Blowers. All classes finish with a cool-down exercise to allow the dancers to rest appropriately.
Blowers explained that she would tailor the class agenda to the dancers by focusing on what they want to work on as a collective.
Registration is now open for Prairie North Dance’s 2024/2025 dance year.
If you are interested in registering, please visit prairienorthdance.ca for more information.
Tribune Photos Submitted
