Meet Maeve Croke | Irish Dance School

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maeve Croke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maeve, why did you pursue a creative career?
Dance has always been a huge part of my life as a kid I trained 5-6 days a week, then I went professional and danced 8 shows a week for a number of tours over 10 years with Riverdance. The next progression was to open my studio and teach and I also adjudicate competitions worldwide. So I guess you could say my career unfolded just as it should be …. I love creating new choreography for both solos and teams and putting together shows. I pursued dance as a career as it’s been my life and what I know and do best so I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I love as a career choice.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
At CIDA I teach solo and team Irish Dance. I try to bring the best out in each student and help them reach their personal potential. The school has been open for 6 years now and during that time we have many dancers qualify for the World Irish Dance Championships. We have done several great events in our community. The Hollywood Christmas parade in 2019 to name one which was broadcast on Tv. We also love to give back and we did a seven hour  danceathon to raise money for the Woolsey Fire. The dancers danced their hearts out and it’s exactly what we believe in at CIDA that you can give back to the community with your talents and that Dance is much more than just competition. It’s the friendships you make and the experiences you get and the joy of being able to express yourself through dance. Irish Dance has really exploded worldwide with the popularity of Riverdance. I was lucky enough to get the chance to tour with Riverdance and I toured the World for 10 years. I look forward to one day watching one of my students take the same path in Dance.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love all that LA has to offer. If my best friend was in town I would go hiking at fryman it’s nice and easy I would rent bikes at Venice and cycle out towards Malibu one of my fav things to do I love to eat out and LA never disappoints, Some of my favorites are little next door , laurel hardware . My local is the honor bar and it does the best chicken sandwich in town !

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Behind every good organization is a wonderful dedicated group of students & parents. At CIDA we truly are a family. I spend so much time with each student and watch them grow over the years it’s such a rewarding part about being a teacher. I would like to give a shout-out to my amazing CIDA Family.

Website: http://www.celticirishdanceacademy.com/
Instagram: Celticirishdance
Linkedin: Maevecroke
Twitter: Celticirishdance
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