As of July 2023, I am pleased to announce that MJP Academy of Irish Dance will be merging with the Blakey O’Brien school in the upcoming dance year. You will still be able to find all of the amazing MJP staff and dancers at the Blakey O’Brien school. So if you like what we do and are interested in dancing with us, please see the Blakey O’Brien website to register for the 2023-2024 dance year.
We will still be holding our MJP Beginner Summer Camp as planned in July.
A SAFE, FUN ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN & ADULTS TO MEET NEW FRIENDS AND GET IN SHAPE!
MJP is the ideal Irish dance school for dancers who are looking for a fun, supportive atmosphere and have a drive to reach their goals.-MJP is owned and operated by Joelle Anderson who received both her Masters of Irish Dance and her teacher training in Limerick, Ireland.
-Top quality Irish dance instruction by professional and experienced teachers that know how to have fun!
-A structured environment where kids can still enjoy being a kid.
-For boys and girls
-Age 2 and up
- Adult classes
-Great for fitness!
-Make new friends
-Classes in North Calgary (Highwood) and South Calgary (Bonavista)
-Choose to dance for fun, fitness or competition.
With classes 4 days a week for beginners to pre-professional, in the North and South of Calgary, MJP teachers cater to a variety of ages and abilities. MJP offers numerous performance opportunities, exciting workshops and fun in-house activities throughout the year.
Students of MJP have the option of focusing their dance careers towards competition, show dancing (for example: Riverdance), team dancing, or fitness. MJP also offers a comprehensive teacher training program for students interested in assistant teaching or becoming certified teachers.
If you’re looking to start for the first time, or to pursue a career in Irish dance, MJP Academy certainly has it all under the one roof.
Join us for a spectacular night of Irish Dance and Music! June 9th 7:00 PM.
Featuring Calgary's top Irish dancers, this is a performance you don't want to miss.
The performance will be the first show of its kind with three Irish dance schools coming together with a common goal to bring Irish dance back to the forefront of the public eye post-pandemic and to get young students interested in Irish dancing once again.
Proceeds from the show will go to support local Calgary dancers that will be traveling to the North American championships in Nashville Tennessee this July.
LOCATION: University of Calgary theatre:
230 University Ct NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
BEGINNER SUMMER
CAMP 2023
July 17-19
If you would like to learn Irish dancing, play games and make crafts, then come and join us this July for three days of fun!
If you have never danced before, then this camp is for you!
Register before May 31, 2023 for an early bird 10% discount. Use code EARLY10
TINY TOES 9am-10:30am. Age 2-4 $75.00 per dancer (GST included)
Tiny Toe camp classes will focus on developing physical co-ordination, songs and counting, introduction to rhythm, and movement exploration.
Daily activities will be much like our yearly classes. Students will spend their time learning the basics of dance, developing their fine motor skills, games and crafts and choreography with a performance at the end of the week.
HALF DAY CAMP 9am-12pm. Age 4-9 $135.00 per dancer (GST included)
During this three-day program, dancers will benefit from cardiovascular exercise, development of their sense of rhythm versus timing, and learn the basics of Irish dance.
Children will enjoy crafts, games, history, fun Irish facts, and, weather permitting, stretching and games outdoors. Parents are invited to share our new dance knowledge through a performance on the final day of camp.
As of July 2023, I am pleased to announce that MJP Academy of Irish Dance will be merging with the Blakey O’Brien school in the upcoming dance year. You will still be able to find all of the amazing MJP staff and dancers at the Blakey O’Brien school. So if you like what we do and are interested in dancing with us, please see the Blakey O’Brien website to register for the 2023-2024 dance year.
We will still be holding our MJP Beginner Summer Camp as planned in July.
A fun video highlighting how our dancers did at this year's North American Championships.
Our rental program helps parents to avoid the expense of buying multiple pairs of new shoes a year when dancers are rapidly growing.
-Both Hard shoes and Soft Shoes available.
-When shoes become too small, they can be exchanged within the current rental contract for that dance year.
-Rental prices are between $40.00-$100.00 and are based on shoe condition.
-The Shoe Coordinator can be contacted at mjpshoes@hotmail.com.
There is also a very limited inventory of previously used MJP T-shirts/jackets, wigs, etc. sold on a consignment basis. If you wish to sell an item on consignment, please email the Shoe Coordinator with item's size, condition and desired price. (Remember to add on $5.00 as a donation to MJPIDA for selling your item for you).
HOW RENTAL WORKS
1) At the beginning of the dance year, shoes will be fitted by a volunteer and approved by the teacher(s).
2) A rental contract will be completed, deposit taken and a rental fee paid.
HOW DONATION WORKS
1) Bring in your old dance shoes (Hard or Soft) to have them assessed by our volunteers.
2) MJPIDA will offer you a price for your shoes and purchase them from you if they are in good enough condition to be used for rentals.
As of July 2023, I am pleased to announce that MJP Academy of Irish Dance will be merging with the Blakey O’Brien school in the upcoming dance year. You will still be able to find all of the amazing MJP staff and dancers at the Blakey O’Brien school. So if you like what we do and are interested in dancing with us, please see the Blakey O’Brien website to register for the 2023-2024 dance year.
We will still be holding our MJP Beginner Summer Camp as planned in July.
For more information on upcoming competitions (times, location etc.) please visit the WCIDTA website.
Joelle started Irish dancing at age 5 at the Regent Academy of Irish Dance and continued dancing and competing until the age of 22.
Reaching Open Championship level, Joelle competed at the Western Canadian Oireachtas, Munsters Oireachtas in Ireland, the North American Championships, in both teams and solos, and the World Championships of Irish dancing in solos.
Joelle's teaching career began at the Regent Academy of Irish Dance where she began student teaching at the age of 12. At age 16, Joelle obtained her first job teaching Irish dance at Kel Soloway’s Dance Arts. For the next six years, Joelle continued to compete and student teach with Regent Academy while teaching the Irish dance program at Kel Soloways, Free House Dance and Celtic FX.
During this time, Joelle obtained her Bachelor Degree at the University of Calgary while taking classes in Jazz, Modern and Ballet at various dance studios and the University of Calgary.
Following this, Joelle attended the university of Limerick, Ireland and obtained her Master of Arts in Irish dance performance.
Joelle returned to Ireland the following year to study for and obtain her T.C.R.G.* under the tuition of her mentor Orfhlaith Nibhriain and the added help of Michael Ryan.
Joelle went on to get her adjudicators certification (A.D.C.R.G.**) in September, 2017, allowing her to judge Irish dance competitions .
After returning home from Ireland in December of 2006, M.J.P. Academy was created and had its first official class on February 6th, 2007. Since it's first class, M.J.P. has experienced exponential growth and soaring success. The students and teachers of M.J.P. are like a big family and Joelle loves nothing more than to help a student's dance dreams come true.
*T.C.R.G. stands for: Teastas Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha. Which when translated to English means Irish Dancing Commission Teacher.
**A.D.C.R.G. stands for: Ard Diploma Coimisiuin le Rinci Gaelacha. Which when translated to English means Commission Certified Irish Dance Adjudicator.
of MJP Academy
Monique treats everyone with kindness and respect. She maintains high espectations of her students, encouraging them to reach their full potential.
Leora expects hard work and dedication from her students. Her caring approach makes her students feel challenged and accepted.
Anya enjoys sharing her passion for Irish Dance. A hard worker and very talented dancer, she inspires her students to strive for excellence.
Below are the most frequently asked questions we get from families of MJP. If you have a question you don't see below, feel free to contact us.
What do I wear to class? (Children and Adults)Students in all class levels are required to come to class wearing proper attire as this allows instructors to see and correct body placement.
Proper attire consists of:
Jeans, long pants with lose bottoms or long skirts are a tripping hazard and are NOT PERMITTED
A CHEAPER OPTION
Beginner girls may wear black ballet slippers. (Pink ballet slippers may be worn but if dancing in performances, black slippers are required)
Beginner boys may wear a black jazz shoe.
Ballet slippers and jazz shoes can be found NEW at City Dancewear and Bodythings. They can also be found USED at Once Upon A Child
IRISH DANCE SHOES
Girls wear a soft black slipper-like shoe called a ghillie (also called pomps)
Boys wear a boys reel shoe. These shoes have a hard heel on them that makes a clicking noise when they hit their heels together.
If you intend to purchase these shoes, please do not buy them at the ballet shops around town as they will sell you Highland dance shoes instead of ghillies which are the wrong shoe.
For more information, please read our MJP Shoe guide HERE
© MJP Academy of Irish Dance Calgary 2021.
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