Oxford Sisters Open New School 'Thorne Academy of Irish Dance'

OXFORD, CT — Two sisters who have spent many years performing and teaching Irish dance, are making their dream a reality. Catie and Hali Thorne will soon open The Thorne Academy of Irish Dance with classes in New Milford and Danbury.

Catie and Hali fell in love with the "elegance and tradition" of Irish Step Dancing, the sisters said and they are excited to bring their unique method of teaching to the Greater Danbury area. "Our goal is to nurture students and make lessons fun and exciting for our students," Catie told Patch. This method of teaching is in stark contrast of the rigid, traditional style.

"If students want to compete and make a career out of it, they can go to other schools in the area and pay twice as much," Catie said. "We want to make our lessons fun and affordable and let our students know we're here to teach and support them.We want to build confidence and enrich the lives of our students while offering a supportive place for them to learn," she said.

Catie Thorne Friel has been taking Irish step dancing class since she was a little girl growing up in Oxford, and Danbury, Conn. For 10 years Catie danced in the biggest event in the region, the New England Oireachtas, the qualifying event for the World Irish Dance Championships. Catie consistently placed in the top 10 in her age group, and qualified for the World Irish Dance Championships six times.

At last fall's New England Oireachtas, Catie could be found in the front row of the audience alongside parents watching her students perform and giving them pep talks and hugs right before they nervously took the stage. Catie passed this rigorous 3-day exam to become a certified TCRG instructor in 2011 and is recognized as a certified Irish dance teacher, Teagascóir Choimisiúin le Rinci Gaelacha, or TCRG for short. The Thorne Academy is registered with An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, the international Irish dance organization with whom the majority of the world’s Irish dance schools are affiliated.

Her sister Hali Thorne, co-teacher, began dancing at age four and by age six she began to compete in competitions. At the age of 12, Hali won the New England Oireachtas and qualified for the Worlds. Hali is the 8-time New England Irish Dance Champion and current Senior Ladies champion. She also won Top 5 in North America five times, sixth place in the All Ireland Championships and ninth place in the World.

"I'm excited to be teaching side by side with my sister and I hope to inspire other dancers to follow their dreams and achieve their goals," Hali said.

The sisters will host an Open House on Tuesday, August 9 at 4 p.m. at the Danbury location where prospective students can attend a free 30-minute class. Danbury classes will be held at the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, 6 Lake Avenue, Danbury. The 8-week sessions begin on September 20. New beginner classes will be held at 4:15-5:00 p.m. and from 5:15-6:00 p.m.

On Wednesdays in Danbury, participants of Celtic Stretch may attend the 4:00-4:30 p.m. class to learn proper stretching technique to improve dancing, posture and well-being. Ages 2-102 are welcome. Advanced dancers class is from 4:30-6:00 p.m. when dancers will learn both hard and soft shoe dances.

New Milford classes are held at 47 Bridge Street, New Milford. The fall session begins on September 12 for ages 5-13. Register online here---> New Milford Park & Rec. New beginners class is from 4:45-5:45 and intermediate dancers class is from 5:45-6:45 p.m.

For more information check out their website, Facebook page or email thorneacademy@gmail.com.

Photo by Wendy Ann Mitchell