Now living in New York City, the talented Irishman not only teaches Irish dancing, but is also a master choreographer and can often be found turning his hand to the accordion, the keyboard, the bodhran or even the spoons during at Irish dancing competitions across the United States.
Having set up home in the United States almost 12 years ago, Niall is now well established as a leading name in the Irish dancing community.
After starting up his self-titled school, the Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance, in Ireland in 1995, O’Leary established a school in the New York metropolitan area in 1996. In 2007, he opened a school in the Florida panhandle area. His dancing schools have gone from strength to strength, with students winning a number of prestigious championship titles.
An architect by trade, O’Leary emigrated to the U.S. to seek work in building design. But his intentions weren’t limited to his career prospects.
“I came to the U.S. to work as an architect, as well as to do some dancing, both performing and teaching,” he told the Irish Echo last week.
“I started dancing in Dublin when I was about 4 years old, and then quit for a short while. I went back after my mother saw Kevin Massey dancing on Irish TV,” said O’Leary. He subsequently studied with the same legendary dancer who was the driving force behind Michael Flatley’s World Championship win.
A natural talent, O’Leary went on to claim a host of impressive titles, including the senior All-Ireland and World Championships at the age of 21.
“That was a fantastic achievement,” he said. “Every time I won a championship after practicing hard for it, I felt a great sense of achievement.”
Having shared the stage with some of the world’s greatest dancers, O’Leary has traveled as far as Japan and Mexico to showcase his talents. But it is at home in the U.S. that he feels he can make his greatest contribution to the growth of the Irish culture.
“I aim to pass on the skill, technique and style of Irish dance and to impart a love of Irish dance and culture to all my students,” he said.
The Dublin-bred artist welcomes his biggest challenge: teaching all of his students to dance as well as they possibly can.
“Any dance is a work in progress; no two performances are identical,” he explained. “Every time someone does a dance, it should be better than the previous time.”
O’Leary is proud of the opportunities he can provide to his students. “They have opportunities to perform and compete that they would not otherwise have,” he said. “I am very proud of all my students when I see them dancing their best,” added Niall.
Attributing the broad appeal of Irish dance to the success of the Riverdance show, which was first broadcast to the world during the intermission of the Eurovision Song Contest, which Ireland hosted in 1994, O’Leary says he believes many people have discovered just how cool Irish dancing can be.
“The widespread appeal of Irish dance has meant that it is rare, especially in North America, to find a group of Irish dancers who all have Irish-looking faces,” he chuckled.
“On many occasions, I have taught classes where the majority of students are from non-Irish backgrounds. I have a few Irish-born students, many Irish-Americans, as well as students from other ethnicities such as Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Hispanic, African-American, and English,” he said.
Not content with simply passing on his skills to young dancers, Niall has also created a dance instruction DVD, “Cuts from the Kitchen: From Beginner to Championship in 1.5 Hours,” for people who want to brush up on their steps in the comfort of their own homes. He has also put together and choreographed the first ever multi-national team, who competed in the World Irish Dance Championships in 1996. The team included dancers from Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, Botswana, the U.S. and Ireland.
His professional company, the Niall O’Leary Irish Dance Troupe, has performed at the St. Patrick’s Day Ball in New York, the American-Ireland Fund dinner, and Manhattan’s Union Square. In summer 2001, the troupe completed a hugely successful tour of Japan, performing in such prestigious venues as Osaka Festival Hall.
A devotee of all things Irish, Niall has clearly used every opportunity to plant his Irish roots in the fertile U.S. soil.
For O’Leary, it would seem that his childhood hobby has now become a vocation.
“We plan to grow the school in terms of locations, talent and intensity to become an even more exciting Irish cultural experience,” he said. “We do not only focus on competitions and training the best dancers; we are much more than that. We also offer a unique cultural appreciation and learning environment.”
For more information on the Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance, call Niall O’Leary TCRG, ADCRG at 212-726-1602 or email: nialloleary@ireland.com.