Rising Stars: Meet Maeve Coughlan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maeve Coughlan.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Originally from Ireland, I came to the states first with Micheal Flatley’s Show Lord of the Dance before then joining Riverdance the show and toured the world for over ten years as Dance Captain. Life on the road was a whirlwind of planes, tour buses, new exciting cities and of course the show every night which gave an adrenaline rush like no other. After dedicating my life to dance, the next natural progression was to open my own Studio.

CIDA has been running since 2014 and despite the challenges brought by covid we are still going. I absolutely love teaching. The studio is my happy place and I take great pride in watching my dancers grow as artists. As well as teaching, I’m also an active Adjudicator and travel to judge competitions all across the states and abroad. I choreograph for An Irish Christmas Productions which tours in Nov / Dec here on the West Coast. Most recently, I got my yoga certificate and my most proud moment to date is becoming a Mom to my beautiful baby boy Cooper.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The obstacle I find is bringing Irish Dance to a larger Audience. It’s a fantastic Art form and sport that has many benefits for its students and I think getting people to think of Irish Dance in that light is challenging. It has many qualities that other sports have due to its high athleticism and then it has the unique creative side also where dancers can really explore themselves and find their own personal style through their dancing. It takes dedication, self-discipline hard work and creativity and many more to become an Irish Dancer.

Another massive challenge has been Covid. The arts industry was hit hard. We went from having 20+ shows booked for March 2020 and within a week everything got canceled and our studio closed for a year and a half almost. We moved our classes to Zoom and it was such a great tool in the short term, living rooms and Garages soon became dance floors and the kids adapted fast, they kept going the whole time and I’m so grateful to have so many dedicated students. It was a place to connect every day in such an uncertain time and I think we became closer as a school because of it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At CIDA, we teach both competitive and recreational Irish Dance. We have classes for both kids and Adults. We strive to bring out the best in each student and help each dancer reach their own personal goals. We teach Both Solos and Team programs as well as a very dynamic performance team program. We have performed all throughout CA and most recently was part of the ensemble for the 62nd Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration which won the 2022 Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for Live Special Events – Programming!

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
The role of luck in one’s life! I could talk about this for hours. Of course, there is luck in everyone’s life at some stage and life is full of the right place and right time opportunities that I’m a firm believer in. However, you do have to put yourself out there and work hard. Opportunities don’t come knocking on your door but if you’re out there trying your best eventually something will give. Hard work pays off with a little luck along the way

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.celticirishdanceacademy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celticirishdanceacademy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100034975297690
• Twitter: @CelticIrishDanc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe3PNRcRJFYoItQ2w-OFsFQ