DANCE INSTRUCTOR: Hazel Donnelly

Hazel was born to Patrick and Patricia Donnelly in Dublin Ireland in 1975, where she lived until 2000 when she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hazel started her dancing career at the age of four with the Peter Bolton School of Dance in Portmarnock Co. Dublin and at the age of 12 transferred to the May Crean school of Irish Dance in Santry, Co. Dublin.

As a dancer with An comdhail Hazel competed in all Dublin, Leinster and All Ireland championships every year from the age of 12.

Over time, Hazel found the experience of performing Irish dance shows to be much more appealing than competitions. As a result, Hazel along with other members of the Crean school joined the cast on Doyles Irish Cabaret, which runs every year from May through October. After the huge success of River Dance Hazel decided to start a professional Irish dance company in Ireland called "Celtic Rhythm". Celtic Rhythm Ireland formed in 1993 with just 3 dancers and is still going strong today with a team of 32 of Ireland's finest Irish dancers, all of which have performed all over the world and hold regular nightly slots and Dublin's finest pubs and restaurants.

Hazel was transferred to Cincinnati Ohio in 2000 as part of her "day job". This Cincinnati assignment was suppose to be for a period of 12 months, however she liked it so much that she is still here! Obviously, aside from family and friends, one of the things Hazel missed most from home was dancing. This led Hazel to start looking for a place to teach and soon started a beginner's class at the Sharonville recreation center. Another class at the Wyoming Fine Arts center soon followed. During the spring of 2003, Hazel took over the adult school of the Horne Family Irish Dancers when the Horne sisters retired in order to spend more time with family and raise their young children.

Today Hazel spends much of her time teaching and supporting her dancers at various performances. Hazel is preparing to complete the Irish dance exams in 2005. This certification will allow her students to compete at Feiseanna if they so desire.

Hazel believes in teaching her students to reach the standards needed in order to succeed in competitions, however she does not believe in forcing students to compete or to feel obliged to purchase expensive costumes and shoes. Hazel wants each of her students to be able to take Irish dancing to the level they are comfortable with. Hazel strongly feels that each student should be allowed to make their own decisions about the level they would like to take their Irish dancing as she feels today's competitiveness has taken a lot of the fun out of Irish dancing.