Irish dance thrives at Byram school

BYRAM — Though many kids opt for doing sports, clubs or more traditional dancing after school, a school specializing specifically in Irish dance and all of its rituals is thriving in Byram.

About the teacher
An Clar School of Irish Dance in Byram is owned and operated by Lexa Hickey, TCRG. TCRG stands for Teagascóir Choimisiúin le Rinci Gaelacha which is Gaelic for Commission Certified Irish Dance Teacher.

Hickey grew up in New Jersey and started dancing when she was four at the Schilling School in Wharton. When that school closed, she moved to Broesler School of Irish Dance, and went on consistently to place in the top five at the Mid-Atlantic Oireachtas (seven consecutive times in first place), and numerous top 10 and top five placements at the North American Championships, Great Britain Championships, All-Ireland Championships, and World Championships. Her highest and most memorable placement was placing third at the 2008 World Championships in Belfast.

She is now a fully qualified teacher certified and registered with An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha and IDTANA.

She opened her school at her Byram location in January 2012. Now, the Byram native commutes between her two locations — one in Byram and one in Albany — to teach the old-fashioned art of Irish dancing to students of all ages.

She's originally from Byram and still lives there, and the Albany location came about due to friendships she had with families from her dancing school that lived there.

“I would travel up there to conduct classes on off days from our school’s class schedule. I was approached by the Celtic Hall, which is a non-profit organization that runs several different programs at the hall (Scottish Highland dancing, bag-piping, Irish language lessons to name a few) to run an Irish dance program. From there I decided to establish my school.”

Students of all agesHickey teaches children as young as three in her Tiny Tots program and instructs kids up to 21 years of age.

"I believe that the basics are extremely important,” she said, “I tell new parents that it is similar to learning the alphabet before you can learn words and then make sentences. It is also not mandatory for any dancer in my school to compete.”

She allows the dancer and their parent to make that decision as competition is not for every child.

Local students The Byram school has students from all over the area. Two sisters from Stillwater are among them. Fifth grader, Aylia Mahon, began Irish dancing when she was five.

“We tried jazz, ballet and tap before Irish dance,” said her mother, Justine Mahon. “My daughters' grandfather exposed both my girls to Irish dancing at the community college and music at home and Aylia just loved it and so the love affair began.”

Her younger sister, Mara, woke up one morning and decided she wanted to attend class too.

The Mahon's like the team support and the teacher's support that An Clar has to offer. Both girls go to class three times a week practicing anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes per night.

“[Hickey] is a wonderful teacher she is part counselor when needed, a friend, a mother, and supports us parents,” Mahon said. “She encourages each student individually, she knows each student and just what to say to them. [Hickey's] motto is 'dance well and be happy with how you danced — the rest will come.'"

In 2014, Aylia Mahon placed third in the Ariectas Competition in Philadelphia. She competes in the “Prizewinner” category while her sister, Mara, competes in “Novice.”

“I want to teach one day and am fortunate to have [Hickey] as a role model," Aylia said.

“I feel good about myself when I dance,” Mara said.

“Aylia has worked hard to perfect her dances and improves every time she not only competes but at class,” Hickey said. “Mara started competing in September of 2013 and has quickly moved through Beginner and Advanced Beginner. She is currently competing at the Novice level and achieving placements already.”

An Clar will be performing at the Sussex County Parade's Irish Breakfast at the Irish Cottage in Franklin, at St. Jude’s Church in Hopatcong on Saturday, March 14 at 7 p.m., and at Bristol Glen in Newton on Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m. They will also be marching in the Morris County Parade on March 14 and the Sussex County Parade, in Newton, on March 21. An Clar will be performing at local pubs throughout the season. A full list can be found at www.anclarschool.com.