Irish Dance

Alaska Treble Makers Irish Dance

Contact Colleen for more information and current schedule: colleen@adventurewrite.com

** HOME OF THE 2024 US CHAMPION AND ALASKA STATE CHAMPION IN IRISH DANCE **

Veteran owned and operated.
Location: 4901 E. Mayflower Ln, Wasilla, Alaska
We’re an authorized vendor for Rutherford Shoes! Call us for details: 907-306-9199
Soft Shoes: $90  |  Hard Shoes: $225  |  Also visit our used shoe shop!
For more info, contact Colleen Oefelein, colleen (at) adventurewrite.com or 907-306-9199

~ Ages 4 – 100+
~ Billed Monthly  //  No Contracts
~ For Fun, Fitness, Competition and Performance ~ Family and Military/LEO Discounts

Call or email us for details: 907-306-9199 or colleen@adventurewrite.com

Here’s our Summer 2021 Highland Games performance of TITANIC: Alaska Treble Makers Irish Dance Group – YouTube

Class Schedule

4 & 5 Years Old – Beginner (semi-private)
$25 per student per class – 30-mins
CALL FOR CURRENT SCHEDULE 907-306-9199
** Perfect for little ones with a short attention span.

NEW Beginner (semi-private)
$22 per student per class – 1-hour
CALL FOR CLASS SCHEDULE 907-306-9199
** Perfect for ages 8-adult who want a great workout!

All 1-hour classes are $22 per class.

Irish Dance is a traditional style of dance with several sides: the precise, graceful, & sliding soft-shoe slip jig is similar to ballet. The fast jigs and reels with their intricate footwork, high energy, and flying jumps appeal to jazz and modern dance lovers. The fast hard shoe rhythms in treble jigs and hornpipes are a real draw for tap dancers. Finally, the group

dances, called Céilí, are the traditional roots of modern square dancing. We do it all!

Each year, we present a dance drama, which is a story told through Irish Dance. See us at the Alaska Highland Games and State Fair.

 

    

 Call or email for information colleen@adventurewrite.com or 907.306.9199

A Mat-Su and Anchorage school district Educational Vendor — Students enrolled at MatSu Central, IDEA, Raven, Twindly Bridges, etc reimbursed for class tuition*
* Licensed in Alaska and Insured by State Farm *

(Alaska Treble Makers catching air in Irish dance)

 

Students get their heart pumping and their toes tapping as they learn basic Irish Dance and progress from beginner steps in soft shoes and hard shoes in this fun, weekly class. We build strength, flexibility, agility, stamina, rhythm, and confidence in an upbeat fitness class. Whether you call it Riverdance, or Lord of the Dance, this is performance (and open platform competition) Irish step dancing. We teach students a healthy workout routine, beginning each class with a warm-up and gentle stretching before practicing our dance moves and steps, and finishing with a strength workout and cool down. Beginners learn an easy Irish reel or light jig first and progress to more difficult steps and then to hard shoe rhythms, including hornpipes, treble jigs, and treble reels.

For all ages, shapes and sizes—you DO NOT have to be Irish to get your Irish Dance on!

We celebrate Irish culture and tradition through Irish Dance.

We perform at the Highland Games, the State Fair, Anchorage pubs, and at several community venues.

We compete at many OPEN competitions.

Studio location: In the back of the Mayflower Building at 4901 E Mayflower Ln (off the Palmer Wasilla Highway near Luke St and in the same building as the HOPE Community Resources Alaska)  Email or call Colleen for details/registration information: colleen@adventurewrite.com or 907.306.9199:

  •  Click here for the registration packet. Please email me with questions/payment instructions: colleen@adventurewrite.com
  • PRICES: $20 per 1-hour class  plus a one-time $35 registration fee, which also covers your class t-shirt and pair of odd socks. We bill monthly, and you only pay for classes you will attend. No contracts, and taking a month or two off  is just fine. Students who wish to attend multiple classes per week may be eligible for a discount.
  • CURRICULUM: In class, we teach Irish Dance rhythm and steps as we enjoy an aerobic workout that includes toning, flexibility, and strength training. Email or call for details/registration information: colleen@adventurewrite.com or 907.306.9199.  Try it out!  

DISCOUNTS

  1. Credit forward – With the exception of our “bundled hours” programs, pay your tuition at the beginning of the month for the classes you know you’ll attend. If you pay for a class you end up missing, I’ll credit that class fee forward to the next month.
  2. Adult / family discount — Adults enjoy a discount if they have a child enrolled in dance class. Steeper discount for 2+ children enrolled. Families with multiple children enrolled enjoy a tiered discount.
  3. Veterans and Law Enforcement Officers — All adults who are veterans of the military or law enforcement enjoy a discounted per class rate. Children of active duty military or LEOs enjoy a steep discount for bundled hours.

What is it?

Get your heart pumping and your toes tapping as you learn basic Irish Dance. Build agility, stamina, rhythm, and confidence through this upbeat fitness program. Whether you call it Step Dance, Riverdance, or Lord of the Dance, this is step and Ceili Irish dance instruction, where you’ll learn basic Irish moves and steps as well as fancy footwork and rhythms set to modern and traditional tunes. We perform and students may compete. We’re a low-pressure academy, learning for fun, fitness, performance, and the simple joy of discovering and sharing Irish tradition. We dance like champions and love like family!

  • Beginner through Advanced Irish Dance Lessons located our studio in the Mayflower Building at 4901 E Mayflower Ln, Wasilla, AK 99654.
  • Private Lessons available
  • For Boys and Girls
  • Ages 4-adult
  • Weekly classes last 55-60 mins
  • $22 per 1-hour class billed monthly + $35 registration fee (due after 1 month of lessons). We accept payment by cash, credit card via PayPal, or check ($35 returned check fee applies)
  • Missed classes may be made up during the same month or in the one month following.
  • No contract means you can take off for a couple weeks or months and not lose $$$
  • We may cancel new classes due to low/no enrollment, so please RSVP prior to showing up!
What do students wear?
  • Sport shorts or leggings & class t-shirt or any non-baggy athletic clothing
  • Sneakers or Ghillies (Irish soft shoes) or dancers may dance in socks, though we don’t recommend it–your feet will get sore.

** Students should bring water **

What do students learn?
  • A healthy workout routine (warm up, gentle stretching, form, calisthenics, cardio, cool-down).
  • Basic and advanced Irish Dance moves, rhythm, and timing, as well as agility and confidence.
  • Reels, Light Jig, Single Jig, Slip Jig, hard shoe rhythms, hornpipes, treble jigs, treble reels, set dances, and ceili.

About our Director, Colleen Oefelein

Colleen has been Irish Dancing for over 25 years, including in competitions, Las Vegas performances, and as an instructor, with schools in Ohio, Florida, Nevada, and Alaska.

A retired Air Force Officer and chemical engineer, Colleen moved to Alaska in 2008 with her husband and son. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a focus in biotechnology and a B.S. in German from Penn State. She’s also a published author writing under the pen name CM McCoy.

Prior to Irish Dancing, Colleen was a competitive gymnast, and gymnastics coach to kids ages 4-18.

About Coach Sarah Hellmann

Sarah started Irish Dancing when she was just a wee lass in Wisconsin. She competed for several years, rising to the level of Champion before suffering a devastating back injury in her teens. A few surgeries and a couple years of physical therapy later, and she’s back to the sport, stronger than ever! Sarah studied Athletic Training at Northern Michigan University before relocating to Alaska. We’re lucky she found our studio, and we love her goofball sense of humor. With a special talent for hard shoe rhythms and fast footwork, she’s excited to share her mad skills and enthusiasm for Irish Dance with our Alaska community!

FAQs

Drop-off and Pick-up:

Dancers should be dropped off and/or escorted in to our Mayflower studio for class 5-10 minutes PRIOR to the start of class to allow time to take off winter clothes and/or change into Ghillies so that class may start on time.

May parents stay and observe the class?

Absolutely! Parents may stay and watch from our tiny nook inside the studio, or on warm days in the spring/summer/fall, we open our garage door and provide chairs for parents and siblings to watch from outside. Cell phones and fidgeting siblings can be an epic distraction for our dancers inside. We ask that parents who stay to observe class inside, silence their cell phones and speak in whispers.

 What should I wear and bring to Irish Dance class?

  • Wear sport shorts/stretchy pants & a t-shirt or any non-baggy athletic clothing, like leggings or jeggings.
  • Sneakers or Ghillies (Irish soft shoes) or dancers may dance in stocking feet (socks). Dancers who continue in Irish Dance will need Ghillies (Irish soft shoes) and eventually, hard shoes. If you’re interested in purchasing Ghillies or hard shoes, please let me know, and I’ll send you information.
  • WATER – Dancers should bring a water bottle to class. Dancers can fill/re-fill their water bottles at the studio, or purchase a water bottle from our studio for $1.

Are private lessons available?

Yes! Private lessons cost $65 for 30 minutes or $110 for 60 minutes, and dancers can split the cost if they’d like to share a private lesson. I can generate a receipt for each dancer, and if you get an Alaska homeschool allotment, the lesson cost is a reimbursable educational expense for your PE individual lesson plan.

Will there be a performance?

Yes! There are several opportunities for both our beginners and advanced dancers to perform throughout the year. We are the primary performers at the Alaska Scottish Highland Games on the Celtic stage, with several shows. We also dance at vendor fairs, at Anchorage and valley pubs, the Highland Games, Galway Days in Anchorage, the Alaska State Fair, and at other venues. During Christmas, we organize a performance at local veteran’s and senior community homes. Also, many schools and churches offer dancers an opportunity to dance at their annual talent shows, including the one at MatSu Central School in the spring. Students who wish to perform  at their school or church may do so, and will need appropriate Irish dance shoes, a class dress or a black long-sleeve leotard, and black opaque tights for the performance (or black pants and a black, long-sleeve collared shirt). Dancers may borrow a satin wrap-around skirt.

What about Irish Dance shoes?

Beginners may dance in sneakers or soft jazz shoes, or in stocking feet. New beginners should purchase Irish soft shoes (aka ghillies, pumps, reel shoes) within a month of joining the class. Dancers who continue in Irish Dance will need soft shoes (ghillies) first and hard shoes later, if they wish to perform. Otherwise, dancers may learn and practice the hard shoe rhythms and steps in soft shoes.

Our studio has a used shoe shop. Call for pricing

We’re also an approved vendor for new Rutherford hard shoes, which run approximately $200.

Here’s a great place to find several brands of ghillies and hard shoes online. New, ghillies range in price from $45 to $100 plus shipping, and any of these models of soft shoe will do.  I wear the Hullachan soft shoe and the Rutherford mega flexi hard shoe, but all of the models listed on this webpage are wonderful.  http://www.rutherfordshoes.com/productSectionOverview.asp?station=1&section=8

Ghillies / Irish Soft Shoes

What do dancers wear for performances?

Boys wear a black button-down, collared shirt with black pants and black socks. Boys must purchase a red tie.

Beginners wear a black long-sleeved leotard and black opaque tights. I provide a red satin skirt ($20 deposit required, which dancers will get back if/when they leave Irish Dance lessons and return their well-cared-for skirt) and a headband. Once dancers have progressed, they may wear a school dress (which costs approximately $130 for the Malley dress [on the left] or approximately $80 for the caped dress, on the right) with tights or a black button-down shirt with black pants. Other skirts and costumes may be required for certain performances.

 

What’s the registration fee for?

The one-time $35 registration fee covers one class t-shirt, a pair of fun socks, and gives you access to extra rehearsals, discounted extra classes, and discounted used shoes. Dancers who continue in the program will never have to pay a registration fee again. Additional t-shirts, duffel bags and Irish Dance socks are available for purchase through the studio.

Class t-shirts (Alaska Treble Makers):

GENERAL INFORMATION AND POLICIES

Release of LIABILITY

Colleen Oefelein cannot be held liable for dancer injury in class or on the premises. Adventure Write cannot be held liable for dancer injury in class or on the premises. All students must sign the liability release in their registration packet prior to attending a class or private lesson.

REGISTRATION

Registration papers must be completed and payment for the month must be received by the studio prior to the student attending class.

Class sizes are limited, therefore we recommend prompt registration to avoid disappointment. A full one-month payment plus registration fee is required at the time of registration.

REFUNDS

Adventure Write reserves the right to cancel any program that does not meet a specific enrollment. A full refund of affected class fees will be made if a program is cancelled by Adventure Write, by way of a credit forward on the dancer’s account. Monthly tuition refunds will not be issued if a student or parent decides not to continue.

There are no refunds for classes missed, but make-up classes may be available and we may credit forward some class fees.

ABSENCE/ MAKE-UP CLASSES

If a class is missed, a dancer may attend another class of the same level (or one level below) if such a class is available during the month of the missed class or during the month immediately following the missed class. Please e-mail colleen@adventurewrite.com in advance to inquire about/schedule a make-up class.

INCLEMENT WEATHER /  INSTRUCTOR INJURY OR ILLNESS

Adventure Write follows MatSu Central school closures (http://matsucentral.org/calendar/) due to weather, and we may cancel studio classes for inclement weather on days the school does not. If a class is canceled due to inclement weather or instructor injury/illness, we will email or call all affected students.

If a class is cancelled due to inclement weather or instructor injury/illness, students may attend a make-up class per the policy stated above. If no make-up class is available, we will schedule one or credit the missed class fee forward.