Kilpatrick Irish Dance School
Jolie Kilpatrick
Ms. Jolie began her Irish dance career with the late Mr. Patrick Butler and the Butler Academy of Irish Dance in Syracuse, NY at the ripe old age of fourteen. After seeing Riverdance on the Late Night Show with David Letterman, she couldn't get the rhythms out of her head and knew she needed to learn herself.
She was devastated when the first dance school she spoke with told her she was too old to begin. God knew that wasn't the right school for her, and opened the door a year later when Mr. Butler began a class just ten minutes down the road from her house. Though she began "late", Mr. Butler and his assistant teacher, Pattie, pushed and encouraged her in both her competitive and show career.
After several successful years with Mr. Butler, and later Pattie Sheehan-Malinowski of the Butler-Sheehan School, she met and married her highschool sweetheart, Piper. They began a whirlwind adventure of moving around for school and careers, which landed them in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA.
While in Pittsburgh, Ms. Jolie began dancing with the Bell School of Irish dance where she finished out her dancing career under the amazing coaching of Julia Bell, ADCRG. She had the opportunity to compete at both the regional and national levels before retiring from competitive dancing. One of the highlights of her dance career was joining Michael Londra's Celtic Fire with fellow dance teachers Brian and Mary Lanni. She was able to travel for one season before stopping to grow their family with their second son.
Ms. Jolie fell in love with the teaching ethics, organization, and positive family atmosphere that is the Bell School and decided to stay on as a teacher after her dancing career ended. In 2014 she sat and passed the TCRG exam to become a certified teacher with An Comisiun le Rinci Gaelacha in Ireland. She had ten wonderful years in Pittsburgh before relocating to the Triangle area. KIDS maintains a sister school relationship with the Bell School to this day.
She and her husband, Piper, have four boys, two who dance and two who might, and two wonderful dogs.
Ms. Jolie is so excited to bring her love of Irish dance to the greater Raleigh community and cannot wait to welcome new students, young and old, to her passion.
Hannah Watson
Ms. Hannah started dancing with the Dó Cairde School of Irish Dance in Pennsylvania at 8 years old and continued until graduating from high school. Growing up, ceili dances held a special place in Hannah’s heart; they presented a different challenge that required dancers to work together and create a cohesive, fluid dance. Hannah has fond memories of moving the tables out of the way in the kitchen in an attempt to practice a 4-hand with her three other siblings–even though the youngest didn’t Irish dance.
Even during the 10 year break from dance, Hannah always considered herself an Irish dancer and hoped to come back to it someday. After moving to North Carolina to be closer to family, Hannah was looking for a social outlet and a way to stay active after recovering from an injury. She found KIDS and started in the adult class, reaffirming her belief that dancing can be for anyone at any age.
Hannah is passionate about seeking new ways to build strength and flexibility to support dancing safely and effectively as the style of Irish dancing shifts to be more athletically dynamic. For Hannah, one of the most rewarding feelings in dance is drilling a part of a dance and finally being able to perform it smoothly in class, competition, or performances. Hannah is excited to continue building community with KIDS dancers and families while supporting them in their Irish dance journey.
