Meet Our Teachers
Katie Conlan: TEACHER/ KNC DIRECTOR
ABOUT KATIE
KATIE CONLAN IS OUR MUSICAL THEATER, JAZZ, VOCAL, ACTING AND TAP TEACHER AT KNC PERFORMING ARTS. SHE HAS TRAINED AS A PERFORMER AS WELL AS WORKING AS A MUSIC DIRECTOR, CHOREOGRAPHY AND VOCAL COACH. KATIE HAS RECEIVED MANY AWARDS FOR HER PERFORMANCES AND MUSICAL DIRECTION. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
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TRAINING
KATIE STARTED DANCING WHEN SHE WAS JUST 3 YEARS OLD IN BOTH STAGE SCHOOL AND BALLET WITH ANNE MAHER. SHE BEGAN LEARNING PIANO AT THE AGE OF 6 AND HAS BEEN SINGING FOR AS LONG AS SHE REMEMBERS. KATIE HAS OBTAINED A DOUBLE ARTS DEGREE IN MUSIC AND BUSINESS FROM MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY. FROM THERE SHE WENT ON TO GET A DISTINCTION IN HER MUSICAL THEATER DIPLOMA AT IMT AND CONTINUED INTO HER MUSICAL THEATER DEGREE AT AMERICAN COLLEGE DUBLIN WHERE SHE FINISHED TRAINING IN JANUARY 2018. KATIE ALSO STUDIED ON SCHOLARSHIP AT NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY 2017. PERFORMANCE BACKGROUND KATIE HAS BEEN PERFORMED IN MANY OF IRELAND'S LEADING VENUES INCLUDING THE BORD GAIS ENERGY THEATER, INEC KILLARNEY, THE OYLMPIA, AND THE GAEITY. KATIE HAS ALSO PERFORMED IN FLORIDA, NEW YORK AND ALSO IN LONDON. KATIE HAS RECEIVED MANY AWARDS FOR HER PERFORMANCE INCLUDING BEST SOLO SINGER AIVS 2016, 30 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALS FOR SOLO SINGING, VOCAL GROUP AND DANCE GROUPS. KATIE HAS RECEIVED 3 SCHOLARSHIPS AT WCOPA: 2 FOR NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY AND ONE FOR SHELE SONDHEIM MUSIC PRODUCER. KATIE HAS PLAYED MANY ROLES TO DATE INCLUDING LIESL (THE SOUND OF MUSIC), ELLE WOODS (LEGALLY BLONDE), EPONINE (LEA MIS), BEBE (A CHORUS LINE). TEACHING EXPERIENCE KATIE HAS BEEN TEACHING SINCE SHE WAS 16 YEARS OLD. SHE HAS TAUGHT FOR STAGEACADEMY NEWBRIDGE FOR MANY YEARS AS A SINGING TEACHER AND VOCAL COACH. SHE WON MANY AWARDS FOR THE SCHOOL FOR HER WORK INCLUDING BEST VOCALS IN MANY VARIETY SHOWS, VOCAL GROUP OF THE WORLD 2016 AND BEST SINGING SCHOOL 2016. SHE HAS MOST RECENTLY TAUGHT AT SHOOTING STARS ATHY AND FUNKY FEET DUNDALK. KATIE HAS TAUGHT COMMUNITY GAMES DANCE, ACTING AND VOCAL GROUPS FOR MANY YEARS BRINGING HOME MANY ALL IRELAND TITLES TO NEWBRIDGE. KATIE HAS ALSO WON MANY NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AWARDS FOR HER CHOREOGRAPHY. SOME OF HER VOCAL AND DANCE STUDENTS HAVE APPEARED ON TG4 JUNIOR EUROVISION AND IRELAND'S GOT TALENT AS WELL AS PERFORMING ON INTERNATIONAL STAGES. MUSICAL DIRECTION AND CHOREOGRAPHY KATIE HAS WORKED WITH IN THE INDUSTRY FROM A YOUNG AGE TAKING HER FIRST ROLE AS MUSICAL DIRECTOR FOR BUGSY MALONE IN KILDARE TOWN. SINCE THEN SHE HAS BEEN MD FOR LARK'S OLIVER, NEWBRIDGE PANTO 2015-2018 AND MOST RECENTLY LARKS PRODUCTION OF SUESSICAL 2019. KATIE HAS WORKED AS MD FOR TEAM IRELAND WCOPA 2016, WINNING VOCAL GROUP OF THE WORLD AND 2018 AS MD AND CHOREOGRAPHER ALONG WITH NIAMH, BRINGING HOME MANY AWARDS FOR TEAM IRELAND. |
Niamh Conlan: TEACHER/ KNC DIRECTOR
ABOUT NIAMH
NIAMH IS A MUSIC AND MATHS GRADUATE OF MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY AND HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED HER MASTERS WITH HIBERNIA COLLEGE DUBLIN. WHILE SHE IS NOT TEACHING DANCE SHE IS A SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER. TEACHING MATHS AND MUSIC. NIAMH TEACHES LYRICAL, BALLET TECHNIQUE, CONTEMPORARY AND CONDITIONING AT KNC. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
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TRAINING
NIAMH HAS TRAINED AS A DANCE TEACHER WITH ISTD, PBT, IDTA AND ID COMPANY. SHE RECEIVED A DISTINCTION IN HER IDTA TEACHING QUALIFICATION AND IS A REGISTERED IDTA TEACHER. NIAMH USES PBT AS A TOOL TO HELP HER STUDENTS DANCE SAFELY TO PROLONG THEIR DANCE CAREER. SHE IS A REGISTERED TEACHER WITH THEM SINCE 2016. SHE IS ALSO A REGISTERED TEACHER WITH IDTA AND ID-DANCE COMPANY. HER STUDENTS HAVE SET EXAMS WITH THE IRISH BOARD OF DANCE PERFORMANCE WITH OVER 95% OF STUDENTS RECEIVING DISTINCTIONS SO FAR. SHE WILL CONTINUE TO ENTER STUDENTS INTO EXAMS WITH IBDP, ID DANCE COMPANY AND IDTA IN THE COMING YEAR. NIAMH IS ALSO A TRAINED VIOLINIST. SHE STARTED PLAYING VIOLIN WHEN SHE WAS 6 YEARS OLD AND PROGRESSED TO STUDY AT MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY. NIAMH IS ALSO A TRAINED VOCALIST WHERE SHE STUDIED UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF LORRAINE NOLAN. PERFORMANCE BACKGROUND NIAMH BEGAN DANCING AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 3. SHE TRAINED IN MANY STYLES INCLUDING BALLET, MODERN, TAP AND JAZZ. SHE COMPLETED HER BALLET GRADES WITH IDTA AND HER MUSICAL THEATER WITH LCM. SHE HAS DANCED ON SOME OF IRELAND TOP STAGES. SHE HAS PERFORMED WITH NUIM DANCE SOCIETY, NEWBRIDGE MUSIC AND DYDC. INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCES INCLUDE THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN LA. IN 2016/2018/2020 NIAMH PERFORMED IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF PERFORMING ARTS AS A SOLOIST IN DANCE AND MUSIC AS WELL AS GROUP VOCAL AND DANCE. NIAMH WAS CROWNED OVERALL DIVISION WINNER IN THE SENIOR INSTRUMENTAL SECTION 2018 AS WELL AS BRINGING HOME MANY WORLD MEDALS FOR DANCE, INSTRUMENTAL, VOCALS AND MODELING, IN 2016 NIAMH WAS A MEMBER OF THE WORLD VOCAL GROUP WCOPA WINNERS. NIAMH HAS PERFORMED WITH VARIOUS ORCHESTRAS INCLUDING MAYNOOTH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA. SHE HAS ALSO REPRESENTED MAYOOTH IN MANY DANCE COMPETITIONS. TEACHING EXPERIENCE NIAMH HAS TAUGHT DANCE FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN STAGESCHOOLS AROUND IRELAND AS WELL AS CHOREOGRAPHING FOR MANY COMPETITION TEAMS AND SCHOOL SHOWS BEFORE SETTING UP KNC WITH KATIE. NIAMH PRIDES HER WORK ON ITS CREATIVITY, MUSICALITY, STORYTELLING AND TECHNIQUE. SHE STRIVES TO HELP EACH STUDENT BECOME THE BEST DANCER THEY CAN BE WHILE PREPARING THEM FOR THE DANCE WORLD. NIAMH FOCUSES ON SAFE DANCE TO PROLONG THE DANCE LIFE OF EACH DANCER. NIAMH IS ALSO A VIOLIN TEACHER AND A SECONDARY SCHOOL MUSIC AND MATHS TEACHER. CHOREOGRAPHY AND MUSICAL DIRECTION NIAMH HAS CHOREOGRAPHED FOR MANY SHOWS INCLUDING GREASE (NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE 2017), ANNIE (HOLY FAMILY 2018), SISTER ACT (NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE 2018), SEUSSICAL (LARK 2019), HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL (NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE 2019) AND WE WILL ROCK YOU (ST PAULS 2020). HER CHOREOGRAPHY CAN ALSO BE SEEN IN “GIVE IT TIME” MUSIC VIDEO FOR JANE WILLOW ARTIST. NIAMH HAS CHOREOGRAPHED FOR COMPETITIONS AND PERFORMANCES WITH KNC PERORMING ARTS COMPANY, STAGEACADEMY NEWBRIDGE AND STARMAKER DUNDALK AND HAS WON MANY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST DANCE AIVS 2017 (LOST BOYS), BEST ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY AIVS 2017 (RULE THE WORLD), BEST DANCE AIVS 2019 (GLOBAL WARMING), OVERALL CONTEMPORARY GROUP WCOPA 2018 (BODY IMAGE). NIAMH'S COMPETITION TEAMS HAVE ENTERED MANY NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS WINNING SOLO, DUET AND GROUP AWARDS IN LYRICAL, CONTEMPORARY, JAZZ AND BALLET. NIAMH'S CHIROGRAPHY HAS BEEN PERFORMED ACROSS IRELAND, UK AND USA, AND RECENTLY SHOWCASED ON IRELAND'S GOT TALENT. NIAMH HAS CHOREOGRAPHED FOR TEAM IRELAND WCOPA 2018/2020. HER ROUTINES HAVE BROUGHT HOME MANY WORLD TITLES. NIAMH HAS ALSO TAKEN ON THE ROLE OF MUSICAL DIRECTOR WITH KATIE FOR VARIES SHOWS INCLUDING BUGSY MALONE AND AIVS. NIAMH WAS DELIGHTED TO HAVE HER CHOREOGRAPHY SHOWCASED ON THE MAIN STAGE AT PERFORM IRELAND 2019/2020 AND TO WORKSHOP HER LYRICAL ROUTINE AT THE PERFORMANCE CONFERENCE 2019/2020. NIAMHS CHOREOGRAPHY HAS ALSO APPEARED AT NOISE MOVES DANCE FESTIVAL 2019. NIAMH WILL BE RETURNING TO THE EVENT AS PART OF THE YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHY EMERGENCE COHERT WHERE SHE WILL CREATE A PIECE FOR THE EVENT THIS YEAR. |
Class teachers
Ciara taheny: class teacher
ABOUT CIARA
CIARA IS 20 YEARS OLD AND IS GOING INTO HER FINAL YEAR OF HER SOCIAL SCIENCE DEGREE AT MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY. SHE HAS BEEN TRAINING AND PERFORMING FOR 15 YEARS NOW. HER LIFE REVOLVES AROUND ACTING, SINGING AND DANCING. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
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TRAINING
CIARA IS A SOCIAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY. SHE HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED HER DIPLOMA IN MUSICAL THEATRE AND HOPES TO COMPLETE HER ACTING DIPLOMA THIS YEAR WITH THE IRISH BOARD OF SPEECH AND DRAMA. PERFORMANCE BACKGROUND CIARA BEGAN PERFORMING AT THE AGE OF 5 AND HAS STUDIED DANCE, SINGING AND ACTING. IN 2016 CIARA WON BEST SOLO DRAM AT AIVS FOR HER COMEDY SKETCH. SHE WAS ALSO AWARDED SECOND PLACE AT THE LEINSTER SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DRAMA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 FOR HER MUSICAL THEATRE SOLO. CIARA HAS RECEIVED SEVERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD NOMINATIONS IN BOTH ACTING AND SINGING. IN 2016, CIARA GAINED A PLACE ON TEAM IRELAND TO COMPETE IN LA AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WHERE HER TEAM TEAM WERE CROWNED VOCAL GROUP OF THE WORLD AND BROUGHT HOME 8 GOLD AND 3 SILVER MEDALS FOR VOCAL AND DANCE ALONG WITH 5 OVERALL DIVISION TITLES FOR VOCAL. CIARA WAS ALSO SELECTED ON TEAM IRELAND 2020 WHERE SHE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE AS A SOLOIST IN ACTING, VOCAL, DANCE AND MODELLING AND AS A TEAM MEMBER FOR VOCAL. SHE RECEIVED 1 GOLD, 3 SILVER AND 5 BRONZE MEDALS. CIARA HAS PLAYED MANY ROLES INCLUDING: EPONINE (Le Mis), CHARLIE (Charlie and the chocolate factory), GLINDA (Wicked) and RIZZO (Grease). SHE HAS PERFORMED IN MANY THEATRES NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONAL. TEACHING EXPERIENCE CIARA HAS BEEN A TEACHING ASSISTANT WITH KNC SINCE THEY OPENED IN 2018. SHE HAS ALSO TAUGHT WITH SHOOTING STARS ATHY AND COMMUNITY GAMES. CIARA HAS NOW QUALIFIED AS A MUSICAL THEATRE TEACHER AND WILL BE TEACHING MUSICAL THEATRE AND ACTING CLASSES WITH KNC THIS YEAR. IN 2016 CIARA WAS DELIGHTED TO CHOREOGRAPHY FOR OLD BAWN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PRODUCTION OF “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”. |
Eirren turner: class teacher
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ABOUT EIRREN
EIRREN FINISHED SCHOOL IN 2019 AND WENT ON TO STUDY MUSICAL THEATRE WITH AMERICAN COLLEGE DUBLIN WHERE SHE RECEIVED HER DIPLOMA IN MUSICAL THEATRE. EIRREN HAS BEEN TRAINING IN PERFORMING ARTS FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS AND HAS BUILT UP MANY PERFORMANCE CREDITS. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
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TRAINING
EIRREN HAS COMPLETED HER MUSICAL THEATRE DIPLOMA WITH AMERICAN COLLEGE DUBLIN AND IS SOON TO COMPLETE HER GRADUATE EXAM IN MODERN DANCE. PERFORMANCE BACKGROUND EIRREN HAS BEEN PERFORMING SINCE SHE WAS 7 YEARS OLD. SHE HAS TRAINING IN ACTING SINGING AND DANCE AND HAS PERFORMED NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONAL. EIRREN HAS COMPLETED HER GRADE 6 VOCAL EXAM WITH LCM AND SENIOR DANCE EXAM IBD. SHE HAS BEEN A SOLOST IN BOTH VOCAL AND DANCE IN MANY SHOWS AND HAS PLAYED MANY ROLES INCLUDING: JANE (Mary Poppins), MABEL (Mack and Mabel), KAREN (Mean Girls) AND, MOST RECENTLY, CHA CHA (Grease). EIRREN HAS COMPETED IN MANY INTERNATIONAL DANCE COMPETITIONS WINNING MANY TITLES IN LYRICAL, JAZZ, MUSICAL THEATRE AND SONG&DANCE. IN 2017 SHE WAS CROWNED BEST DANCER AT AIVS AND ALSO WAS JAZZ CHALLANGE WINNER AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION VAD. IN 2018 EIRREN REPRESENTED IRELAND AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF PERFORMING ARTS IN LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA WHERE SHE BROUGHT HOME 14 WORLD MEDALS FOR VOCAL AND DANCE. SHE HAS ALSO BEEN NOMINATED FOR SEVERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD IN MUSICAL THEATRE. TEACHING EXPERIENCE EIRREN HAS BEEN A TEACHING ASSISTANT WITH KNC SINCE THEY OPENED IN 2018. SHE HAS ASSISTED WITH SHOW AND COMPETITION CHOREOGRAPHY AND ALSO EXAM PREPARATIONS. SHE HAS ALSO BEEN A COACH WITH COMMUNITY GAMES. EIRREN HAS NOW QUALIFIED AS A TEACHER AND WILL BE TEACHING LYRICAL CLASSES WITH KNC THIS YEAR. |
