St. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon, and you know what that means! The time of year when residents from all over the Hudson, Ohio and Green, Ohio areas get together in order to have fun while celebrating Irish culture. And when it comes to bringing the true spirit of Ireland to Summit County, Ohio, no other organization does it better than the MacConmara Academy of Irish Dance. This Akron, Ohio dance school has spent years spreading the joy of Irish dance to people of all ages. But that’s not to say that MacConmara Academy simply offers dance classes—not by a long shot! In fact, their local dance team will be helping to kick off the St. Patrick’s Day festivities by performing at area venues such as the Hibernian Club on Brown St. and Legends Sports Pub & Grille. As far as St. Patrick’s Day events go, none are quite as unique as the performances given by the students of MacConmara Academy of Irish Dance!

Founded by Teresa Seeman-Buck in 2009, the MacConmara Academy of Irish Dance in Akron was created in order to teach students of all ages the art of traditional Irish dance. The dance school is very much a family affair, as Teresa and her siblings were encouraged to master this unique form of dance by their grandmother, Kay McNamara-Seeman—the school’s namesake.

While Teresa was first joined by her brother, Tim Seeman (World Champion in 2002), the staff has since grown to become a very diverse and experienced group of instructors. Teresa herself has had a long and successful competitive career in Irish dance, performing throughout Ireland and North America. Along with Tim Seeman, the MacConmara Academy of Irish Dance staff includes Marcus Maloney—a full-time performer and TCRG instructor who has won a number of awards, Shelley Roten—an experienced Irish dancer who teaches exercise and stretching classes, and Brittany Gerstenslager—a professionally-trained instructor who teaches dance classes at various studios around the area.

Along with Irish dance, the MacConmara Academy also offers ballet and jazz dance classes which help students with turns, leaps and much more.

The passion that MacConmara Academy of Irish Dance has for this art form is often transferred to their students, but none so much as their local dance team, the Celtic Storm. Dancers from this impressive group have gone on to perform solos in numerous competitions throughout the country, as well as performing during St. Patrick’s Day events in Hudson and Green. With a 45-minute show of non-stop dancing, along with some singing and instrument-playing by MacConmara’s talented students, the Celtic Storm provides Summit County residents with a wonderful demonstration of Irish culture.

And 2013 is no exception!

This year MacConmara’s Celtic Storm will be performing at various St. Patrick’s Day events in the area, including Legends Sports Pub & Grille and the well-known Hibernian Club on Brown St. As Teresa Seeman-Buck and her family have been involved with this local Irish Catholic organization for a number of years, the Hibernian Club is a great supporter of MacConmara Academy and vice versa. While Teresa is currently the Catholic Actions Officer for the Lady Hibernians, her aunt and grandmother are both past presidents, and her father was the grand marshal of last year’s parade.