Where were you in 1982? Did you dance at the Porter School of Irish Dancing? Have you ever danced with the Conor Academy of Irish Dancing since 1993? From 3rd November 2007, Bridie celebrates 25 years as a dancing teacher and to mark the occasion, we held a party in her honour. Current and past pupils attended the function which proved a great success, stirring the memories of many people over many years. Bridie (nee Bransfield) has been dancing throughout her life since she was just 5 years old, performing at many Fies’ and peaked when she became a World Champion as part of the Terry Bowler Academy’s world-beating all-girls junior figure team. She went on to win further silver and bronze world championship medals and later performed on ITV’s “Opportunity Knocks” with Hughie Green in 1973. She recalls starting her first class in 1982 at St Andrews Primary school in Streatham with only three pupils; Anne-Marie, Gerrad and Bernadette McCarthy. As it turned out, the McCarthy family had a lot in common with Bridie’s, as both Mums were Donegal girls and both Dads were Cork men – a coincidence that brought the families together and has forged a strong bond ever since. During the second week of classes, the McCarthy’s brought along their neighbour and so, the Porter School of Irish Dancing was formed and remained at just four pupils for almost a year when numbers started to gradually increase. It was 1983 when Bridie was asked if she would be interested in starting a class at Corpus Christi School in Brixton Hill, and then later, she also took over the Kathleen O’Halleron School in South London after Kathleen returned to Ireland to live. By the end of 1985, Bridie was teaching at 6 classes per week but, as she also had a full time job in Knightsbridge, she decided to drop some classes and revert back to just four – much the same as today. In 1990, Bridie met her husband and they were married in Melbourne Australia in 1993. Alan provided great support to Bridie in her dancing and teaching career and helped at many class feis’. Alan worked as an IT Director, so was able to pool his IT skills and built a website for the Conor Academy of Irish Dancing – the academy being named after their first son Conor: In 1997, the academy was the first Irish dance school in the UK and Ireland to go online (10 years is a lifetime in internet terms) and today www.irishdance.co.uk “The Home of the Conor Academy” attracts several hundred web visitors every month. The Academy has performed at many special events over the years. We have been proud to represent Ireland at two major international festivals, a “Children’s Festival of Peace” in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1982 and senior pupils travelled to the Transylvania region of Romania for Pe Mures si Pe Tarnave, in 1992. Invitations have flooded in from many other sources and Bridie has seen Conor Academy pupils dance at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including; The London Palladium; The Royal Albert Hall; Her Majesty’s Theatre; Savoy Hotel; Thames Barrier; Fairfield Halls; the Mayor’s Parlour at, both, Merton and Croydon; Lambeth Town Hall; The Brighton Centre; Petworth House National Trust; Alton Towers; Saint Hill Manor; Wimbledon; Butlins and Chelsea Football Club. The Academy also has a impressive CV for television too, appearing on “Never Mind the Buzzcocks” with Mark Lamar; the Disney Channel; on MTV with pop band Liberty-X; “Murder on the Dancefloor”; BBC-Xchange with the boy band “Phixx”; Dancing in the Street with BBC’s Bruce Forsythe; Channel-4’s Born Sloppy with Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox; BBC Record Breakers and with RTE’s Tara Television on Sky Digital. Bridie Willis, TCRG, the Tutor and Artistic Director of the Conor Academy said, “It has been a real challenge to choreograph many special dance routines for these special performances”. Bridie and the Conor Academy is thriving in Croydon and Streatham and continues to perform at local events too; School fetes; church fayres; nursing homes and hospitals; local authority family days; shopping centres; weddings receptions; birthday parties; 1st Holy Communions and even a funeral. The Academy is also very proud to be represented by its pupils at the British National Championships; the Great Britain Championships and the Southern England Qualifying Championships. Pupils have also performed at the World Irish Dancing Championships - a very proud moment. Having asked Bridie what her most memorable moment was – this was her reply, “Every time I see my pupils perform, is a memorable moment, whether it is their first class feis, or display, or competing at the Great Britains or at the Worlds. I still get a wonderful feeling knowing they are there because of me, that I’ve touched their lives in a small way”. The Conor Academy of Irish Dancing is registered with An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha (Irish Dancing Commission) in Dublin, Eire. Bridie added, "It was great to see so many of my pupils, past and present, and their parents on Saturday evening. Time has passed by so quickly, it was great to catch up on their news and see photographs of their own new families". Please keep in touch with us at: irish.dance@btinternet.com Copyright © 1997 - 2007 Conor Academy of Irish Dancing. All Rights Reserved The Conor Academy is Registered with An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (Irish Dancing Commission) Dublin, Eire