Cape Breton Step Dance and Sean Nós (Old-Style) Irish Dance

Wednesdays from 6:30pm — 7:30pm (January 7th — April 29th)

In this social, adult-focused class, students learn foundational Cape Breton and Irish step dance vocabulary, including basic strathspey, jig, and reel steps, shuffles, tip-downs, brush steps, and shuffling. Class material draws from both traditions, highlighting their shared rhythmic roots while introducing stylistic differences in posture, timing, and musical emphasis.

A strong emphasis of the class is on musicality and improvisation, helping students build confidence moving to reels, jigs, and strathspeys and “thinking on their feet.”

This class is welcoming to beginners and encourages individual expression while developing solid foundations in Irish and Nova Scotian traditions.

Where to find us:

The Dance Space

6004-A West Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23230

Annabelle Bugay

Inspired by her years of study in Ireland and Nova Scotia, Annabelle is finally laying down roots and sharing treasured North Atlantic step dance traditions in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Passionate about preserving time-honored traditions and creating new avenues for their proliferation, Annabelle is committed to fostering a vibrant community of dancers and musicians wherever she goes.

Annabelle first began Irish dancing at the age of six under the An Cor Rud School of Irish Dance in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Annabelle achieved the open championship level before deciding to follow her passion for improvisation, choreography, and social dancing outside of the competitive sphere. She lived in Limerick, Ireland for two years where she learned Sean Nós (old-style) Irish dancing, before moving to Sydney, Nova Scotia where she completed her BA in Music and Folklore at Cape Breton University.

In Cape Breton, Annabelle refined her piano accompaniment skills and began picking up local steps at community dances, house parties, and Ceilidhs. Over the years, Annabelle has had the privilege of learning from many dance masters, such as Lisa Burgess, Liam Scanlon, Nic Gareiss, Mats Melin, Linda Block, Michael Donnellan, and Courtney Jay, among many other friends and square dance partners in Cape Breton. She is also featured on Isla Ratcliff’s debut album The Castalia (2021) and the live recording of Sunnseitn Bordun (2019) in Kremsmünster, Austria.