The school shows Irish dancers in the city at St. Patrick's Day

“Everyone is Irish at St. Patrick's Day,” explains Fidelma Keenan-Glaser, founder of the Keenan Irish Dance School. “So at this St. Patrick's day, why not learn a bit from a template before you set off to celebrate!”

Keenan-Glaser's mother comes from Northern Ireland. After immigrating to San Francisco, she met the father of Keenan-Glaser, even fresh from Scotland, on New Year's Eve. Six months later, they married and in South San Francisco they showed five children who would all learn to dance Irish – but only the youngest has made a professional career in it.

“I was four years old when I started dancing,” she recalls, “and I always knew that I wanted to teach it. People would ask what I wanted to be and I would answer immediately – an Irish dance teacher! Just like that. “

Violent proud of her heritage (“I have the Irish thing in the middle of the story of a story and jump on the whole card!”, Admit Keenan glasses that she spent a few years in a balance sheet office before she has come true.

“Full -time, then part -time when I started school,” she recalls. “What first brought me to Petaluma were my cousins ​​looking for a teacher for their children.”

One appearance led to another and then to another, somewhat Keenan glazer, who was a very family-oriented city.

“My dance students are my extended family, which means that after 30 years I bring the children of the dancers that I taught at the time!” she says with a laugh. “When I grew up, I always wanted a younger sibling, but never has one, so that's probably a part of it.”

Shortly after she started lessons in Petaluma, she added more students – and then studios – in Sonoma, Napa and Santa Rosa and often commuted between the places. Concerns regarding the time and the removal of their family and then of challenges that many experts were confronted during and after the Covid 19 pandemic, Keenan-Glaser urged their business to centralize.

She has been running the Keenan Irish Dance School from 211 Liberty Street since November. In order to demonstrate the relatively new location, Keenan-Glaser organizes an open house on Sunday, March 16, from 2 to 4 p.m.

“I want people to know that we are in operation and let them come in and see what we do,” she says.

The afternoon event includes refreshments and information about the dance styles and courses that the school offers for students of all ages and experience. There will also be appearance of current dancers and the possibility of learning a little “light jig” with the instructions of Keenan Glaser and another local dancer, Jennifer Corri.

At St. Patrick's Day itself there will be live appearances in the city, one in the McNear's Saloon at 4:30 a.m. and then two next door in mystic Theater, at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. both donations that have proposed a donation of 20 US dollars, all income supports school.

Those who cannot make it this weekend are still encouraged to stop by Keenan Glaser at school, where she tends five days a week and any other Sunday.

“Irish dancing is a lifestyle,” says Keenan-Glaser. “For me, St. Patrick's Day is every day of the year. You don't have to be Irish to take Irish dancing, although of course it is a good way to capture it and connect with a really important aspect of our heritage, and to learn dances that we have been taking in the same way for hundreds of years. “

The use of dance to connect to other people is Irish for Keenan Glaser.

“In the old days, when they had a party and have a few people to dance, she was called” A Ceili “. She explains that, according to a Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha, the official Irish dance commission of Dublin, there is 30 Ceili dances. “It helps if you are passionate. If you are strong about something, it comes out in every respect, and I know that dancing comes from my passion, it's not just about having fun. “

The Keenan glazer realizes that the internationally known group of Riverdance is likely to be in public, and praises the group and hopes that people know that there is so much more to learn.

“There are elements of ballet and tap,” she notices. “You have to know the basics before you can do what Riverdance does and how best to learn with a certified teacher.”

Not that Keenan-Glaser, which shows that they “believe in one or two goblins”, believes that it has not improvised time and a place for a small pub dance floor, especially at St. Patrick's Day.

“Oh, you will definitely see the good, the bad and the interesting one,” she says again with a laugh. “And yes, as a dance teacher, when I see that, I think:” Okay, what is it? “But on the other hand, as a Irish woman, I have to admit, I love you jump in.”