{"id":230313,"date":"2026-03-03T12:17:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T17:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/?p=230313"},"modified":"2026-03-03T12:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T17:18:09","slug":"foley-irish-dance-northern-va","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/foley-irish-dance-northern-va\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond St. Patrick\u2019s Day: Inside Reston\u2019s Foley Academy of Irish Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"custom_featured_image\" style=\"display:none;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-800x533.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"foley irish dancers in reston va\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-263x175.png 263w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/div><div id=\"custom_category\" style=\"display:none;\">holidays<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Troupes of Irish dancers are as ubiquitous around <a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/st-patricks-day-northern-virginia-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">St. Patrick\u2019s Day<\/a> as green beer. For these dancers, St. Patrick\u2019s Day is only part of the schedule: they perform and compete year-round,&nbsp; and even travel internationally to perform. Shannon Foley, the founder of Foley Academy of Irish Dance, located at 11260 Roger Bacon Drive in Reston, talked with <em>The Fairfax Girl<\/em> about Irish dance and what it takes to prepare for the most visible and exciting time of year. <\/span><b>Read on for more about Foley Irish Dance and the year-round dance schedule.&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-230345\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1.png\" alt=\"foley irish dancers in reston va\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1.png 1000w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/foleydancers_1-263x175.png 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><br \/>\n<b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<h3>About Foley Academy of Irish Dance<\/h3>\n<p>Founder Shannon Foley grew up in Vienna and was inspired by performers she saw locally. \u201cMy parents took me to a big festival at the Old Town Alexandria Waterfront, and there were Irish dancers,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was at the peak of Riverdance\u2019s popularity. I knew I wanted to try it.\u201d She started dancing at age 9 and continued dancing throughout college and high school. \u201cI was very shy, so performing and competing was good for helping me get over that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Shannon graduated from college at George Mason University and began her career as a technical writer for a government contractor, dancing all the while. \u201cI had started teaching at a different school, and I had an idea in my head to start an Irish dancing school at some point,\u201d she said.&nbsp; The teaching certification exam took about a year\u2019s worth of preparation. \u201cIt\u2019s a three-day test, and you\u2019re tested on your personal dancing capability, teaching, and simulating a class with pretend students,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-230346\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/shannon_foley_1.png\" alt=\"shannon foley\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/shannon_foley_1.png 1080w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/shannon_foley_1-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/shannon_foley_1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/shannon_foley_1-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/shannon_foley_1-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/shannon_foley_1-585x585.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The certification and examination are administered by the Irish Dancing Commission, An Coimisiun le Rince Gaelacha (CLRG). \u201c<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I received my TCRG (Teagasc\u00f3ir Choimisi\u00fain le Rinc\u00ed Gaelacha, Teacher certified by the Irish Dance Commission) in 2017 and attended the presentation in 2018 at the World Championships (Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne) in Glasgow,\u201d Shannon said. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;Once Shannon took the test, she started making plans for her own dance school and opened Foley Academy in 2018. She left her technical writing career in 2025 and now works full-time at Foley Academy. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shannon\u2019s husband, Jacob, is her right-hand man in the studio. During our visit, we saw him direct the flow of students between classes, answer questions about an upcoming event, cue the music, and generally manage everything else. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He wears a lot of hats: operations and IT support, maintenance, photographer, front desk, and general problem-solver,\u201d Shannon said. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Studio Life<\/h3>\n<p>Even though most people see Irish dancers only at St. Patrick\u2019s Day, there is a year-round cycle of studying, rehearsal, evaluations, and performances. \u201cSt. Patrick\u2019s Day is a big event, it\u2019s like our Christmas,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cBut our big recitals are in the spring and fall, and we have competitions year-round.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She said that students are drawn to Irish dance for a variety of reasons. \u201cIt\u2019s usually a mix of wanting to explore their Irish heritage and being curious about the high-energy dancing,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cPerforming in a group is really special, too, and people like that.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a general description, Irish dance sits at a unique intersection of cultural performing art, elite competitive sport, and theatrical presentation. It\u2019s rooted in Irish folk tradition, but reaching a high level requires years of disciplined training &#8211; hundreds of practice hours, technical repetition, cardiovascular conditioning, strength work, and precision timing,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cWhat looks effortless on stage is built on an extraordinary amount of athletic and artistic preparation behind the scenes.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foley Academy has classes for students as young as three years old and through adulthood. \u201cThe adult classes are strictly recreational,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cIt\u2019s great for fitness and socializing. Irish dancing is a great form of exercise for all ages, since you\u2019re building leg and core strength. Maintaining the posture requires a lot of muscle control.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The studio\u2019s Spring recital is \u2018the big show\u2019 and typically takes place in June. It\u2019s a large, themed show with a connected storyline for all of the groups performing. \u201cLast year\u2019s theme was Celtic knots,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cWe had about 600 people in attendance.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Then there\u2019s the Fall Recital. \u201cFoley Academy\u2019s Fall recital is a studio showcase of each level\u2019s core step material &#8211;&nbsp; the specific steps and technique standards dancers work on in class at their current level. Dancers perform both soft-shoe dances (such as reels and light jigs) and hard-shoe dances (such as hornpipes and treble jigs). These are the same major Irish dance styles often featured in professional stage shows like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Riverdance<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d Shannon said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em><strong>See more:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/meowtown-cat-lounge-mclean-va\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Meow Town Cat Lounge in McLean Blends Cat Rescue With Inclusive Employment<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shannon said that the main facets of Irish dance are performance, competition, and community service. \u201cThe competitions are really exciting, we\u2019re always preparing for at least one at a time,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are local competitions about once a month somewhere on the East Coast, plus regional, national, and world competitions.\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve had roughly two dozen dancers travel to international-level competitions over the years. It\u2019s a relatively small group competing at a very high level. Most recently, we had a dancer attend the All-Ireland Championships (Oireachtas Rince na h\u00c9ireann) in Killarney,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cComparable major events that our dancers have attended include the North American Irish Dance Championships, the Great Britains, and the World Irish Dance Championships.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DU32D51kpfT\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DU32D51kpfT\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Foley Academy of Irish Dance (@foleyirishdance)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The community service aspect is something the dancers really enjoy. \u201cWe love to perform and share our skills with the community,\u201d she said. \u201cWe perform at local community events such as Celebrate Reston, the Reston Holiday Parade, and the Reston Multicultural Festival, in addition to retirement communities and seasonal festivals throughout Northern Virginia. We love to make connections with the community. Often, people will tell us that they did Irish dance as a child or remember the music. It\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>St. Patrick\u2019s Day Rush<\/h3>\n<p>Our visit to the studio in February felt a bit like visiting Santa\u2019s workshop in November: lots of excitement and anticipation in the air. \u201cRight now we have about 34 shows booked,\u201d Shannon said. The St. Patrick\u2019s Day performances highlight the community service element of the Irish dancing community.&nbsp; <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe just go from show to show, and the students just love that thrill of getting in front of the community and enjoying the people and the energy because everyone knows at St. Patrick&#8217;s Day, when the Irish dancers come out, it is so energetic,\u201d she said. \u201cThe audience loves the music; they love seeing the kids perform.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been performing at some of these venues, like Reston Sunrise Senior Living, since 2018,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cAnd our older students use these performances for their community service hours. These performances are a really great way for dancers of all ages to learn that this [dance] is something they can use to give back. It&#8217;s a great way to give back and bring joy to people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/mobile-services-northern-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">15 Mobile Services You Need to Know in Northern Virginia<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In terms of organizing the dancers to \u2018staff\u2019 each show, Shannon said, \u201cThe dancers are booked in groups for different performances, so they\u2019ll do three shows in the morning or three shows in the afternoon, or maybe two in the evening.\u201d The newest beginners and beginner one students are only required to do one show. \u201cAnd we encourage everyone to participate with us at the Alexandria St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade. It\u2019s the biggest one in the area,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DU6qAApkhk-\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DU6qAApkhk-\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Foley Academy of Irish Dance (@foleyirishdance)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The St. Patrick\u2019s Day performances are also an opportunity to fundraise for the studio\u2019s non-profit, called Foley Friends. \u201cSome venues will pay us to perform, which helps us offset costs for recitals and other performances,\u201d Shannon said. \u201cWe do not charge for tickets to recitals because of Foley Friends.\u201d <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, we had to ask: what\u2019s with the wigs? Shannon laughed. \u201cWhen I was dancing and competing, we had to use rollers to get that bouncy look, and it hurt,\u201d she said. \u201cThe wigs started as a solution to that, and now it\u2019s become a trademark. People like that the curls and height show off the movement of the dance. And, putting the wig on is a lot faster and easier than setting your hair in curlers and styling it.\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more about Irish dancing or to book Foley dancers for an event, visit the studio\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foleyirishdance.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">website.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Follow @thefairfaxgirl on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thefairfaxgirl\/\"><span class=\"s2\">Instagram <\/span><\/a>+&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@thefairfaxgirl\"><span class=\"s2\">TikTok<\/span><\/a> for the latest Northern Virginia updates, and check out our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/events\/\"><span class=\"s2\">events calendar<\/span><\/a>, which has over 100+ events weekly to peruse.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"categories\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/thefairfaxgirl.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stories<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>holidaysTroupes of Irish dancers are as ubiquitous around St. Patrick\u2019s Day as green beer. For these dancers, St. Patrick\u2019s Day is only&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":362,"featured_media":230345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9874,8833,9709,7997,7998,9711,2569,9593,9728,9294],"tags":[9732,9686,9793,9700,9702,9743,9770,9745,9845,9735],"class_list":["post-230313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative","category-culture","category-fairfax-county","category-lifestyle","category-people","category-reston","category-art","category-local-girl-rss-feed","category-virginia","category-women-owned","tag-dmv","tag-family-fun","tag-fitness","tag-kid-friendly","tag-lifestyle","tag-northern-virginia","tag-nova","tag-reston","tag-tlg","tag-women-owned"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - 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