Teaching Tradition, Culture and Prize-Winning Steps

Walk into the Smith-Houlihan Academy of Irish Step Dance on Central Street and you are guaranteed to find a few things: the sounds of traditional Irish music and dancing feet echoing throughout the room, hundreds of prestigious awards adorning the wall and dancers of all ages from all over New England - smiling as they follow the direction of their world renown teachers Michael Smith and Noreen Houlihan-Smith.  

What you won’t see, but is evident within only a few moments of watching a class or talking with Noreen or Michael, is the feeling of warmth, comfort, family and tradition - the secret to Smith-Houlihan’s great success.

With an astounding 38 All World Championship solo and team dance honors, 14 all Ireland solo awards and an alumni of dancers who have gone on to dance in productions such as Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames, Noreen and Michael Smith clearly know how to teach Irish step dance to little girls and boys.

With all of the world cups and championship trophies, Houlihan-Smith said, “There is nothing that compares to receiving a Christmas card from a former student that says, 'Thank you for so many wonderful memories, for being part of my life.'"

"We have dancers who have since now grown and carried on in their lives and will always come back to Michael and I to say how they loved growing up with Smith-Houlihan and the fond memories they have and talk about all the time," Houlihan-Smith said.

It is Michael and Noreen’s love of Irish step and keeping alive the tradition, while keeping with the changing face of Irish step dance today that makes them so successful.

“Sometimes, it can get so competitive but it is wonderful to know that we are keeping the tradition of what Irish step was when we took," Houlihan-Smith said. "It is family, culture and a heritage. And I try and bring that to my students.”

The Smith-Houlihan Dance Academy is a family school, with both Michael and Noreen - former dancers themselves - teaching class and running the school. 

"We both love teaching children dance because they are always so eager and excited about learning even at a young age starting and as they grow into the love of this culture, their progression and achievements makes us so proud to be a part of their childhood years ."

Michael Smith, founder of The Smith-Houlihan Dance Academy, is considered one of the finest dance choreographers in the world and is in constant demand to teach master dance classes and adjudicate competitions across the globe. Noreen Houlihan-Smith, 1978 New England Senior Ladies Champion, has also conducted master dance classes in Ireland and adjudicated international dance competitions. Both Michael and Noreen are certified Irish dance teachers with An Coimisiun le Rinci Galeacha (Irish Dance Commission of Dublin, Ireland), the North American Irish Dance and New England Irish Dance Teachers Associations.

However at the end of the day, “it’s about the tradition and the memories,” Houlihan-Smith said.

“Our school is a team effort. I don’t want the students to look each other and try and compete against one another," she said. "That’s not what it was about when we took step dancing. It is important to support one another. I had older girls who didn't compete in the feis this past weekend but were there anyway to support the little ones. That is what it is about, it's about family.”

Houlihan-Smith said that Irish step has exploded with the success of Riverdance, and it is wonderful for the dance community but there has to be a balance of competition and tradition.

She also says that though the solo dances are popular, the team dances really keep the school going.

“The teams (ceili dances) make the school successful, it provides the dancers with the feeling of family and connectedness,” Houlihan-Smith said. “My favorite night is when teams practice because we have beginners and the older students, champions, all dancing together and no one acts any better then the other. It is wonderful to watch and a true testament to how hard these students work."

Noreen and Michael’s philosophy of keeping the tradition alive by instilling such basic principles in their students, with caring and warmth is the reason the students are connected, strong and so successful.

When asked of her proudest moment, Smith-Houlihan smiled and talked about the first time the All Worlds came to America in 2009.

"We brought home six World Cups, four first place and two third place wins - four of the wins were for teams and two were solo wins,” she said.

The Smith-Houlihan Academy took home the All World Dance Drama title with a perfect score of 700 points.

“It was such a proud moment for all of our students,” Smith-Houlihan said.

When asked about the other wins in 2009, Noreen proudly answered, “Oh, our little ones, the under 13 girls ceili, took first and our senior women’s ceili also took first place. And our under 15 girl’s ceili brought home a third place! It was so exciting for everyone."

The winning extends into the family as well. Noreen said her daughter Ashley and son Cian brought home the solo cups from Worlds.

Dancers from the Smith-Houlihan Dance Academy will be performing at various locations throughout Massachusetts at St. Patrick’s Day celebrations over the coming days, including Lewis' during dinner hour between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. on St. Patrick's Day and Saturday, March 19.

For more information on the Smith-Houlihan Academy of Irish Dance please visit:

http://www.smithhoulihanacademy.com

The Smith-Houlihan Academy also has locations in Braintree and Milton and is accepting students on an ongoing basis.