Katie Flannery remembers how, as a young girl, her love of Irish dancing developed. But she also recalls the long trips required to get her training.
Flannery, 29, grew up in St. Charles, and she said there was little choice but to travel to get the instruction she needed. She said her mother had to drive her to Chicago, in addition to driving siblings to other stops.
That's one of the reasons, she said, she is excited to return to her hometown to open an Irish dance school of her own. She will open the Flannery School of Irish Dance next month at 1400 Foundry St. in St. Charles.
"When I was in high school, before I had my driver's license, my mom would have to drive me all the way to the city," Flannery said.
Flannery said she learned to dance at a young age, and she acquired a love for Irish dancing when her parents returned from a trip to Ireland with excitement after watching Irish dance performances there. She said she listened to their descriptions of the dancing and immediately wanted to take lessons.
"Little did I know, at the time, that Irish dancing would turn into my life's passion," she said.
She competed for many years and went to Loyola University, where she first started giving lessons.
Flannery said she is retired as a dancer, and she said she is ready to concentrate on teaching.
The studio, she said, is something that has been on her mind for a while.
"I've always wanted to have my own dance school," she said. "I'm just ready to teach now."
She called Irish dancing "the most technical form of dancing."
She said the school is set to open April 30. For information, visit www.flanneryirishdance.com.
