As a dance student, Erin Cooney had taken jazz, tap, ballet and tumbling before she started Irish dance at the age of 11. Little did she know what started off as a “fun, social, recreational thing” would end up being something that would have a huge impact on her life.
After graduating from college, Cooney started teaching Irish dance as a fun part-time job and began teaching in Maple Grove in 2007. The classes continued to grow in size and popularity, so in September 2012, Cooney opened Rince Nua (which means “New Dance”) to accommodate class sizes that were getting too large and frequent for the rented church space they were using.
Now, just over a year later, Cooney has reason to celebrate. Rinca Nua sent four dancers to the World Irish Dance Championship in Wexford, Ireland with great success. Alyssah O’Neill received 4th place in the under-16 championship, Krissy Wills received 9th place in the over-23 championship and the Rince Nua freestyle team received 3rd place. The honor surprised both Wills and O’Neill, who didn’t expect to place so highly at an international competition, and has inspired them to reach higher. O’Neill hopes to make top three next year, saying the victory “has made me more confident and really pushes me to work harder to get better.”
