a non-competitive traditional Irish dance program at
Dance Biz
Longview Plaza--1742 Long Pond Road
Rochester, NY 14606
(585) 227-6614
kathyw[at]rns.dance
Follow us on Facebook--Rince Na Saor Irish Dancing
Welcome to Rince Na Saor, Rochester's recreational Irish dance school! Since 1997, Rince Na Saor ("rinka na sayer") has provided an alternative to the typical competition-based Irish dance school, offering children and adults the opportunity to learn traditional Irish dance in an environment focused exclusively on recreational students. Rince Na Saor's unique curriculum was developed specifically to meet the needs of the recreational student, which include lower costs, a smaller time commitment, and a more relaxed learning pace.
There are several different types of Irish dance, all of which are available at Rince Na Saor. We offer instruction in the Modern style of Irish stepdance which most people know from Riverdance, including hard shoe and soft shoe stepdancing, ceili and figure dances, traditional and contemporary set dances, family dances, and dance dramas. We also offer Rochester's first Sean Nós classes ("shah nose"--old style Irish stepdancing), and Country Set classes for beginners.
The links below will tell you more about us, and you can contact me at kathyw[at]rns.dance with any questions you may have.
Join us for our Annual Show, Sunday, June 22, 2025, at The Harley School in Brighton! Doors open at 2:30 p.m., the show starts at 3 p.m., and lasts about a hour. Find out more here.
Registration is open for the Fall! Classes start September 12, 2025. You can register here.
Sean Nós, or "old style" stepdancing, is offered in single class workshops and short-term sessions. The workshops are a great place to start, while the sessions start with the basics, then move beyond. Beginners may start in either workshops or sessions.
Sean Nós Workshop: Our Fall Beginner Workshop will be on Friday, September 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Sean Nós Session: Our Fall Session will be on Fridays, September 26, October 3, 10, 17, 24, 6:30-7:15 p.m.
Learn more about Sean Nós dancing with the videos below, or by clicking "Class Schedule" in the links above.
This is an exellent video describing Sean Nós dancing. Since it was filmed, Sean Nós has become very popular all over Ireland, and has made its way to America.
One of my favorites, Kieran Jordan, Sean Nós dancing to jigs. A useful reminder that Irish dance need not be fast to be compelling.
