Life as the dance teacher’s daughter
January 30, 2018
Adrienne is the eldest daughter of Cormac (O’se) and Natalie O’Shea, directors of O’Shea Irish Dance at the Celtic Junction in St. Paul. Adrienne is a dancer at the school and plans to take over her parents dance school someday. She is currently working toward becoming a TCRG or an official Irish Step Dancing teacher.
“It [her parents being dance teachers] has given me countless opportunities. Like I’ve never had to pay for classes or anything and things are always at my fingertips, which I think is amazing and it has given me this wonderful platform and it continues too. Honestly, I can’t even process how lucky I was to have that kind of family and that kind of base,” Adrienne said.
However, life as the dance teachers daughter is not easy.
People always, always watch you, especially being the daughter of two dance teachers. And your last name carries so much weight, so that weight is all on your shoulders, and sometimes it is so difficult to deal with.
— Adrienne O'Shea
“People always, always watch you, especially being the daughter of two dance teachers. And your last name carries so much weight, so that weight is all on your shoulders, and sometimes it is so difficult to deal with,” Adrienne said.
That kind of pressure can be extremely stressful and uncomfortable at times. However, Adrienne handles the pressure on her strong shoulders with grace and poise. She never holds back a comforting smile and is quick to come up with solutions if there is conflict in a group.
“I see why it’s really important in becoming a dance teacher to take all of the grades exams because it really tests your proficiency and your ability and your knowledge of the basics because that’s the foundation for everything, even though they’re going to be really hard and I’m not going to want to do them sometimes,” Adrienne said with a laugh.
In order for her to run her parents dance school someday, she has to complete what are called the “grades” competitions. The first three grades competitions test the basics of Irish Dance but get progressively more difficult until the final competition, number 12. Though rigorous and challenging, the final payout, running her own dance school and continuing her family’s legacy, outweighs the frustration and stress that is sure to come as she continues to move through the grades competitions.
Adrienne’s future as a musician and dance teacher is extremely bright. Her many talents and perseverance are sure to change the Irish music and dance community in Minnesota, the Midwest and globally for the better.