Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Stephens Spangler.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I founded the Rince na Chroi Irish Dancers back in 2003. We started small- about 12 dancers who met 1 day each week. I was very young and learned as I went. I was committed to continuing to grow and improve. Now, we’ve been around for nearly two decades. We have classes four days each week and try to get out and about into the community as much as we can to share what we do. We normally average over 100 public performances/appearances throughout the course of a year. I remain committed to continually improving who we are and what we do!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road! The pandemic has been a huge challenge in so many ways, like it has for so many. When your whole business model is based on teamwork and community, and you suddenly can’t work together in that way, and suddenly all those events and gatherings we had always participated in weren’t happening- you really have to figure out what you’re going to do to keep students and families engaged with us.
Also, nearly two decades into this journey, I’m always surprised at how new challenges and opportunities for improvement continue to come up. Over time, communication has changed. Students have changed. Parenting has changed. You get questions or feedback that reveal something you maybe hadn’t even thought of. I’m always trying to look at our processes and how we need to adapt and improve to make this the best possible experience for our students and families.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Our Irish Dance school is focused on performances and teamwork. Unlike many other Irish dance schools, we do not participate in competitions. This allows us to spend our time teaching our dancers not only technical skills, but also being creative and working hard to put on excellent performances. We collaborate with local musicians and love to work with our friends from the Two Tap Trio and the Wild Colonial Bhoys. We try to get out into communities as much as possible, and then we want our dancing and our dancers to reflect how much we love what we do.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are always recruiting new dancers of all ages- we have students as young as 3, up through adults. We offer year-round classes, and we also offer a summer dance camp for kids. We have performances throughout the year. We appreciate support whether it is signing up for a class, helping us spread the word about classes, buying tickets to performances, booking us for an event or gathering, or following us on social media.
Contact Info:
- Email: katie@rincenachroi.com
- Website: www.rincenachroi.com
- Instagram: @rincenachroi
- Facebook: facebook.com/rincenachroi
- Twitter: @rincenachroi
- Youtube: youtube.com/rincenachroi
Image Credits
Tom Dunn Photography
Aisling Imagery
Jules Hawkins Photography
Jamie Cramble Photography
