American Association of Irish Dancers & Teachers (AAIDT)
AAIDT Officers
President & North Eastern Regional Mentor
Kenneth Brennan, Licensed Instructor & Adjudicator
School — Daoine Sidhe Academy of Irish Dance
Email — slantware@yahoo.com
Kenneth Brennan learned dance from a variety of sources in the Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania’s Irish-dance capitol. He has taught Irish dancing continuously since 1997. Kenn was a featured instructor at the renowned Heritage Dance Festival for two consecutive years and directed a master class at the Pennsylvania University of the Arts. In 1999 Kenn was featured in Irish Dancer Magazine.
Between 1998 and 2001, Kenn directed and performed with a regional dance ensemble that was highlight entertainment at Hershey Park, the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, the Ocean City Music Pier and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The regional show was featured in Renaissance Magazine.
In 2004, Kenn received Instructor Training from Carmel Doherty of Cumann Rince Náisiúnta (CRN). Rather than pursue CRN’s instructor certificate, Kenn Returned to AAIDT to build it into the successful organization it has become.
Kenn is a licensed instructor of the American Association of Irish Dancers & Teachers and is a faculty instructor at Delaware County Community College, where he facilitates AAIDT’s Irish Dancing Professional Certificate Program.
South Western Regional Mentor
Richard Tew, Licensed Instructor & Adjudicator
Email — rt120974@gmail.com
Phone — 281-989-3575
Richard Tew is an Irish dance instructor from Texas with titles ranging from CLRG Open Championship dancer, top Nationals placer, and Senior Men's Southern Regional Champion 2003, qualifying him for the CLRG World Championships on five separate occasions.
Richard began his Irish dancing with Colm O’Maoileidigh, TCRG in Houston, TX where for 5 years he learned the traditional fundamentals of Irish dancing. Next, Richard moved to San Antonio and danced with three time World Champion Neill Reagan TCRG/ADCRG. Under Neill, Richard learned more advanced rhythm patterns and advanced technique work. After a brief move back to Houston, Richard moved to Austin, TX were he took dance from two-time World Champion Eimir Ni’ Maoileidigh, TCRG.
For the last five years, Richard has been instructing various students for his former instructors at their recommendation. These students have with Richard’s instruction, gone on to win many Preliminary and Open Championship competitions in and around the Southern Region.
Richard looks forward to helping dancers accomplish their dreams and goals for dancing. By teaching them discipline, determination, and confidence, Richard hopes to pass on his love for Irish dance and Irish culture.
North Western Regional Mentor
Sharon Stidham, Licensed Instructor & Adjudicator
School — Achill Academy of Irish Dance
Email — AchillAcademy@yahoo.com
Sharon’s experience in Irish Dance began in 1969, with Joan McNiff Cass, and continued with her brother, the late Cyril McNiff. Cyril was one of the founding members of the Irish Dance Instructors Association of North America (IDTANA), the North American branch of the CLRG.
As an individual competitor through the Open Champtionship level, Sharon won numerous local, regional and national awards, and qualified regularly for the Worlds competition, then held annually in Ireland. With the McNiff school, and with her sisters, she performed at venues as small as the annual dinner dances hosted by the local Irish organizations, to venues as grand as Carnegie Hall.
College, career and life intervened, and she put her dreams of teaching Irish Dance on the back burner for many years. Upon moving to Springfield, Illinois, she knew it was time to open her own school. Through AAIDT, Sharon has been awarded her instructors' and adjudicators' licenses.
North Western Regional Representative
Rebecca Ingram, Licensed Instructor
School — Irish Dance Idaho
Email — rebecca@irishdanceidaho.com
Rebecca has studied extensively with certified Irish step dancing schools in the Boise valley. Irish Dance Idaho was founded by the Ingram family—Rebecca, Heidi and Spencer—in February 2005 as a way to share their talents in a fun, challenging, and healthy atmosphere.
Rebecca has competed in eight CLRG competitions, receiving numerous medals and trophies and achieving the difficult level of Preliminary Championship. She has been taught by some of the best certified dance instructors in the industry, including World Champions and the leads of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.
For the past 8 years, Rebecca has participated in over 500 performances throughout the Northwest, including dancing with Irish bands as they tour through Boise, community recitals, fund-raisers, festivals, schools, rest homes, and numerous private parties, as well as the Irish Consulate General.
North Eastern Regional Representative
Gráinne Lanigan, Registered Instructor
School — Damhsa Irish Dance Studio
Email — Damhsa04@hotmail.com
Gráinne Lanigan began her Irish dancing career at the age of 4 in Dublin, Ireland under the instruction of Michael and Gerry Nulty and the Nulty School of Irish Dance. While under their instruction Gráinne was able to win the Dublin Championships by the age of 9, and placed in the Leinster Championships, All-Ireland Championships, regional and international competitions and earned a spot in the World Championships by the age of 12.
At age 13, Gráinne and her family moved the United States where she continued to compete briefly under the instruction of Michael Smith and the Smith School in Boston. It was shortly after the move to the US that Gráinne began to fall in love with performing Irish Dance and bringing the beauty of the dance to many who had not seen it before.
It was in 2004 that Gráinne was able to realize her dream as she with co-owner Colleen Beirne opened the Damhsa Irish Dance Studio with the mission of bringing the joy of Irish Dance to those who would like to experience it. Since its opening, Damhsa has been performing all over the state of Rhode Island and beyond. Gráinne looks forward to working with AAIDT and continuing her love of Irish Dance.
Web Developer & Electronic Media Consultant
Ashley Middleton, Registered Instructor
School — Triallta Irish Dance Company
Email — ashleymidd@gmail.com
Ashley began teaching Irish dancing in the Chicago area in 2002. She has spent years as a student of highly-respected CLRG-certified schools, worked as a camp counselor for Camp Rince Ceol in 2004, and studied with Cumann Rince Náisiúnta at their January 2005 instructors’ training workshop in Pennsylvania. She currently studies with AAIDT towards her instructors’ license.
Alongside Irish dancing, Ashley has also taken basic classes in ballet, tap and jazz and studied Middle Eastern dance. Currently, she studies Scottish Highland dancing with the Highland Dance Academy of Chicago, as well as percussive dance and advanced Irish step at the Old Town School of Folk Music.
Ashley is a Web developer by trade, running 1SkinnyGirl.com Web Development and freelancing since 2001. She has maintained Diochra.com—Discover Irish dance! since December 1998, which has been featured twice in the international Irish Dancing & Culture Magazine. She’s also a full-time college student, studying Graphic Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago.