Viral TikTok Duo The Gardiner Brothers Push the Boundaries of Traditional Irish Dancing

Viral TikTok Duo The Gardiner Brothers Push the Boundaries of Traditional Irish Dancing

When it comes to choreographing their viral Irish dance routines, the rules merely exist to be broken for The Gardiner Brothers. Professional dancers and content creators, Michael and Matthew Gardiner, 29 and 26, hold five world championship titles between them and have both performed the principal role in Riverdance, but they can just as easily incorporate disco arms into an Irish jig as they can perform traditional steps with a poker-straight posture.  Photo by Paul Jennings, courtesy Gardiner Brothers. Born in Denver, CO, to Irish parents before moving to Galway, Ireland, in 2006, the pair have grown a devoted social […]

How a New Rosco Dance Floor Transformed This Studio (Literally) Overnight

Students at Impulse Dance Academy in Greenwood, Indiana, discovered a major surprise when they returned from their holiday break: The studio’s 21-year-old flooring was gone, replaced with a new Duètte vinyl floor from Rosco.  “They were ecstatic,” Kerri Sullivan, Impulse’s owner, says of the dancers. “It’s been a game changer.”  Impulse Dance Academy received the Rosco dance floor from the company through a giveaway exclusively offered to Dance Teacher readers. After years of putting off what can seem like a daunting upgrade, the company’s gift helped transform Sullivan’s studio for many years to come.  A Dance Studio Desperate for a […]

Point Park’s Dance Program Becomes Its Own School Within the University

Point Park University’s dance program has gotten a glow-up. While dancers had previously trained in the dance department under the umbrella of the Conservatory of Performing Arts, they now have their own School of Dance. “This will allow us to bring in more students, and also create more programming and opportunities,” says Garfield Lemonius, dean of the School of Dance. The new school, which became official at the start of 2025, now hosts a commercial dance department as well as a concert dance department, and students have the opportunity to earn their BFA in dance with a concentration in ballet, […]

Rambert Grades Adds 5 Solos by Top Contemporary Choreographers

Rambert Grades has some new choreography for students to learn. The training organization, which provides syllabi and examinations in contemporary dance worldwide, recently added a collection of solos with a focus on storytelling for dancers to perform in their exams. The pieces come from four top choreographers: Matthew Bourne, known for contemporary takes on classic story ballets; Vidya Patel, who blends classical Indian and contemporary dance; Will Tuckett, who’s worked across ballet, opera, and theater; and choreographer Kate Prince’s ZooNation, which creates full-length narratives that incorporate hip hop and physical theater. There’s a new work for each level, from Grade […]

Helping Students Prepare College Audition Solos

Earning acceptance into a college dance program requires more than solid technique and well-rounded training. Most schools ask students to present a brief solo as part of an audition—and this solo can carry a lot of weight for decision-makers. “The solo is when we get to see dancers being themselves,” explains Pamela Pietro, chair of the dance department at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. “They get to show us who they are and where they shine.”  What makes for an effective college audition solo? For starters, it will display a dancer’s assets while highlighting their individuality and […]