Q: I love Riverdance. Would you tell me about the Drake School of Irish Dance located in Norcross?
A: You are inquiring about the dance studio founded by Karl Drake in 1990. The main branch is in Norcross with satellite locations in Alpharetta and Marietta. Drake has studios in three other southern states and outside of the country in Mexico and China. Beyond classes for children and adults, there are performances and opportunities for competition.
“Trained by the most prestigious Irish dance school in the world led by Aine (deceased) and Jamous O’Shea, I traveled all over Europe with them,” Drake said. “It’s actually where all the Riverdance cast members came from.”
Dancing since the age of nine, Karl Drake left his home in Dublin at the age of 17 in pursuit of a dream to open an Irish dance school.
His move from New York to Atlanta opened the doors for his dream to unfold. The landscape in the South was open and Drake made a name for himself as he landed gigs in performance and choreography.
“If you’ve never learned Irish and you have some background either in ballet, tap or jazz you will find it very easy to pick up the basics of Irish dance,” the Dublin native said.
Dances fall into two categories: soft and hard shoe. “Soft shoe dances include reels, slips, light jigs and single jigs,” Drake stated. He added the hornpipe, heavy jig and treble reel for the hard shoe dances.
“Originally the hard shoes had nails on them, underneath where the tap would be on tap shoes. Due to the heaviness of the shoe and in modernizing Irish dance, fiberglass replaced the nails, on the tip and the heel, making the shoe lighter,” he said.
Drake’s dancers have a record of state and global “competitive achievements.”
The renowned dancer said, “I have loyal staff, teachers that have been with me and alumni dancers now teaching at Drake school - a huge offer to the school. I’ve trained 20 teachers and it makes me very proud that again I’ve brought on another generation of dance teachers all over the world.”
Currently, 15 of his students are preparing for the World Irish Dancing Championships (April 10-17) at Waterfront Hall in Belfast. “It’s like the Olympics of Irish dancing,” the founder said. The youngest child going is a 10-yr old boy from Atlanta.
If you are curious about Irish dance and would like to try it, Drake’s school offers one month of free beginner lessons.
Address: 4790 Peachtree Industrial Blvd #101 (located in The Shops at Berkeley Lake), Norcross (404-524-6986).
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/DrakeSchool
New to Atlanta or simply have a question about this place we call home? Email your request to atlactualfact@gmail.com
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