Jackie O’Riley

Jackie O’Riley spent her formative dance years in the Irish set dancing community in Boston, MA.  Over the past decade and a half, she has ardently sought out old-style or traditional step dancing, sean-nós dance, and set dancing.  She is now a respected performer and teacher, with a unique repertoire that includes older steps she has collected from masters and field footage and original material she has composed.  Jackie performs and teaches in the US, Canada, and Ireland, was an original member of the touring sean-nós dance show Atlantic Steps, and recently performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin as part of Na Píobairí Uilleann’s production, “The Sound of Ireland.”  In 2019 she released a ground-breaking and first-of-its-kind visual album of Irish dance titled From the Floor.  She founded, directs, and teaches O’Riley Irish Dance, a unique, non-competitive dance program for youth now in its 10th year, and is the co-recipient of a 2017 grant for choreographers through the Boston Foundation.  Above all, she believes in prioritizing musicality in dancing, being a part of the wider musical and traditional community, and maintaining the joy that drew her to the tradition in the first place.