Considered by some to be the oldest dance group in Atlantic Canada, the St. Pat’s Dancers of St. John’s, Newfoundland, have been teaching, performing and building community through dance since the 1930s.
The volunteer-run dance group focuses on community and accessibility, welcoming children to join and providing dance instruction, shoes and performance attire, all free of charge.
“You don’t have to have money to dance. You don’t have to be even good at dancing. If you want to entertain, if you want to try dancing, you will not be turned away,” said the group’s co-coordinator Courtney Walsh, who started dancing with the St. Pat’s Dancers more than 30 years ago. “You’ll be part of our group and you’ll be part of our family.”
The St. Pat’s Dancers, which began as a program at St. Patrick’s Hall School, was taken on by Walsh’s mother, Yvonne Steiner, in the 1990s. Molly Feehan, who has been dancing with the group for at least 17 years, described Steiner and her family as a “constant” throughout the years. “They’ve done such a good job running this and making it accessible for everybody, and that is no small feat,” said Feehan. “[Mrs. Steiner has] won a few community awards for all her work.… And she deserves all the praise.”
The repertory knowledge of the St. Pat’s Dancers is held and handed on by its members: it is tradition for more experienced members of the group to pass their knowledge on to newer dancers. Once members have learned four dances, they are considered “part of the senior group” who are ready to perform and to teach, said Walsh.
“They’re teaching as young as Grade 3, teaching kindergarteners how to do little dances like Turkey in the Straw,” she explained. “It gives them a sense of responsibility, and they’re proud that they’re … able to teach these kids now, so it gives them a little bit of confidence as well.”
“It gave me such great leadership skills,” said Feehan, who started teaching new dancers when she was in Grade 4.
Generous community support enables the St. Pat’s Dancers to provide everything free of charge. Beyond collecting monetary donations at their performances and having an occasional fundraiser, they receive donations in the form of shoes. The coordinators and teachers are all volunteers, and family and community members offer their time and skills in a variety of ways. Because of the volunteer-based nature of the group, their weekly practice space is free as well, provided by The Lantern.
The St. Pat’s Dancers share their talents at a variety of venues throughout the year, from festivals to pubs to retirement residences. “We always perform in the seniors’ homes. It’s actually my favourite part of the group,” said Walsh. They perform with live local musicians, with a focus on Irish-Newfoundland music, but have also been onstage with well-known visiting musicians like The Chieftains and Daniel O’Donnell. Walsh described the group’s style as Irish dancing with “our own Newfoundland flavour.”
The group has performed outside of their home province on a number of occasions and have taken two memorable trips to Ireland, in 2014 and 2018. “In 2014, we were invited to dance at the Canadian Embassy in Dublin on Canada Day, which was such an honour,” said Feehan.
Newfoundland is very rich in Irish heritage, and St. Patrick’s Day is a government holiday in the province, which is always a busy time for the St. Pat’s Dancers. On March 17, they will be performing at two retirement residences and a pub called Broderick’s on George.
“St. John’s is so tiny, yet it’s so full of life,” said Walsh. “If you’re into music and dance, it’s really fun.”
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