The opportunity to dance on the Emerald Isle of Ireland is being offered to NW students, said NW dance associate professor Amy Sleigh.

“The class starts next semester, and the first four days we will alearn about international dance,” she said. “Then we will leave for Ireland for a nine-day trip.”

Sleigh will be the tour leader for the trip and said it is a wonderful chance for students who want to travel safely in a group.

“We will start in Shannon and end up in Dublin,” she said. “Students will get a chance to attend a traditional Irish dance class, a music and dance feast, the Dublin dance festival that will showcase international artists and on Day 8, a chance to perform impromptu dances held in various places in Dublin. It’s a lot like a flash mob.”

There are no prerequisites, and students can take the class for credit hours or just for fun, Sleigh said.

“An interest in dance obviously helps, but students without that interest will have other opportunities. They just have to be willing,” she said. “The trip is designed with a dance focus. However, there is flexibility for group project assignments.”

Sleigh, who has made the trip before, said the people of Ireland are welcoming and remind her a lot of Texans.

“They are so friendly and approachable. I loved it,” she said. “It was a magical and beautiful trip.”

NW student Candace Turner said she has always wanted to go to Ireland since she was a little girl.

“My dad always embraced our Irish heritage, and we always talked about how much we wanted to go,” she said. “Unfortunately, he passed away, and we never got the chance. When I heard about the trip in July, I knew I had to go and experience it for the both of us.”

Turner said the trip is not just sentimental but a chance to strengthen her passion for dance.

“I am so excited to see Ireland in all its beauty, experience the culture and just dance,” she said.

NW student Rebecca Doan first heard about the trip her first day of dance class.

“I was so excited because I love to travel and I love history,” she said. “When I heard that we get to dance as well as explore the history and culture of Ireland, I knew I was going to go on this trip.”

Doan said she looks forward to seeing the landmarks of Ireland.

“This is not my first trip across the pond,” she said. “I went to England one summer during high school, and we had the chance to see a cathedral there that was over 1,000 years old. You just don’t see things like that in the States. I’m also looking forward to learning traditional Irish dancing and meeting new people in the process.”

Enrollment for World Dance 1305 will open in October. For more information, students can go to the website at www.efcollegestudytours.com and click “Tell my professor I’m interested,” or contact Sleigh at 817-515-7174 or amy.sleigh@tccd.edu.