Water bottles will be a must for the students of the local Bhriomar School of Irish Dance on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.
It will be important for the dancers to stay hydrated as they perform in not one or even two but six different places in Okotoks.
The day begins with a 9 a.m. show at Dr. Morris Gibson School and ends with a 7 p.m. performance at St. James Catholic Church. In between the dancers will stop by Good Shepherd School, Sandstone Lodge, Okotoks Junior High and John Paul II Collegiate in Okotoks.
St. Paddy’s Day itself is so packed for the Bhriomar dancers instructor, Ali Hampshire, explained they’ve had to plan one celebration for well after March 17.
“We are doing a ceilidh a week from Saturday night, on March 26, at the Flare ‘n’ Derrick in Turner Valley,” she said. “We’re going to have a live Celtic band, the dancers will be performing there, it will have a pot luck dinner; basically it will be one big party to honour Patrick’s Day. We find it’s a lot less chaotic if we do this kind of event a week or so after. I think if we tried to do it before hand we’d all lose our minds because there is so much going on.”
Hampshire and her sister, Cait Lottis, founded the Bhriomar School of Irish Dance about five years ago. It’s actually now two schools operating under the same banner. There’s a location in Lethbridge with about 20 students and one here in Okotoks that’s about 30 students strong.
Hampshire said the local branch of the school recently upgraded its dance facility.
“We just moved to a new location,” she said, “We’re at the Foothills Training Services building which is just off Crystalridge Drive in behind the Alberta Dance Academy. It’s a brand new studio space with a 1,000 square foot dance floor. It’s been great for our dancers to have this new studio home.”
Keeping their local profile high is important to the Bhriomar School. It’s why they’re doing so much for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s also why they regularly get involved in performing locally throughout the year.
“We danced in the highland games this past summer and I’d say we perform in Okotoks at least every other month,” she said.
To learn about the classes Bhriomar offers, the upcoming Turner Valley ceilidh or their St. Paddy’s Day performances, e-mail [email protected] or visit their web site www.brhiomar.com
