Instructors

Mrs. Maureen McTeggart Hall, T.C.R.G., A.D.C.R.G.
Mrs. Hall, aside from having the highest level of certification in Irish dancing, is a past chairman of the Western Region, a vice-president of the Irish Dancing Commission and adjudicates every year at the North American and World Championships. McTeggart schools are located in Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, CO; Ft. Worth, Houston, TX; Lexington, KY; Phoenix, Mesa, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Salt Lake City, UT; New Orleans, LA; Fresno, CA; Oklahoma City, Tulsa, OK. Her dancers range from beginners to Open Champions and they can routinely be found competing in the North American Championships, All Irelands and the World Championships.

The McTeggart School of Irish Dancing was established in 1939 in Cork, Ireland. The first director was Peg McTeggart, the eldest of four sisters, all of whom were champion dancers. The school soon spread throughout the whole of County Cork due to the efforts of younger sister Maureen McTeggart Hall, T.C.R.G., A.D.C.R.G. In 1958 Maureen McTeggart Hall and her family immigrated to the United States, bringing with them the art of Irish Dancing and introducing it to the Western Region of the United States. Maureen McTeggart Hall began teaching in Denver in 1976. She opened her school in New Orleans in 1984 and has built one of the most respected Irish dancing schools in the nation.

Dr. Katherine Garrison Schilling:
Katherine danced for 15 years with the McTeggart Irish Dancers of Louisiana. During this time she was trained by Mrs. Hall and became an Open Championship dancer, traveling all over the United States to compete. She danced in major competitions such as the Midwest and Southern Regional Oireachtas, placing in the top ten percent which qualified her for the World Championships. She competed in the North American Championships, and at the World Championships in 1998 in Ennis, Ireland. Katherine graduated from MIT and recently received her doctorate from LSU. She is currently working toward getting her T.C.R.G. and is also a full-time teacher at Holy Cross School.

Ms. Maureen Morphy:
Maureen danced for 13 years with the McTeggart Irish Dancers of Louisiana. During this time she was trained by Mrs. Hall and became an Open Championship dancer, traveling all over the United States to compete. She qualified for the World Championships from 1997-2006 consecutively by placing in the top ten percent at the Southern Regional Oirechtas each year. She received 17^th at the North American Championships in 2004. She also competed in the All Irelands in 2002 in Killarney, Ireland and in the World Championships in 2005 in Ennis, Ireland. Maureen recently graduated from LSU and is currently working towards getting her T.C.R.G.

All Students that wish to compete in Irish dancing must be taught by a teacher certified by “An Coimisium le Rinci Gaelacha”. The following are the certifications most commonly found:

A.D.C.R.G. - Adjudicators. Individuals who have reached this level of certification are qualified to judge all Irish Dance competitions, including the World Championships.

T.C.R.G. - Teachers. Individuals who have reached this level of certification are qualified to teach Irish step dancing and ceili dancing, and they may enter their students in “feis” to compete. They are required to see each of their students once a month.

T.M.R.F. - Ceili dance teachers. This is a subset of the TCRG certification. These individuals are qualified to teach ceili dancing and are entitled to enter their teams in feis to compete in ceili dancing.