O’Hanlon Stage School | Testimonials

I started dancing with the O'Hanlon School at the age of four, and I learnt to tap to 'Singing in the Rain', twirl through 'A Chorus Line' and remember that I'm 'Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile!' For years I would wake up on a Thursday happy in the knowledge that today was dance class day!

Fifteen years, hundreds of songs, and countless costumes later, the O'Hanlon school of dance has always been somewhere that every child, including me couldn't help but feel special, couldn't help but feel like a star! I have now been teaching in the O'Hanlon school for three years and still wake up with a smile when it's dance class day! The atmosphere in every class and at every show is always one full of laughter and energy, which is reflected in all of the pupil's beaming smiles when the curtain rises!

Many moons ago our eldest daughter joined the O’Hanlon School of Dance with Emer and Michelle in Stillorgan. We had no idea at that time, what a wonderful world we were entering! 15 years later and with an additional 2 daughters enrolling with Emer, the O’Hanlon Stage School has become a major part of our lives!

The girls have performed over the years in the original Rupert Guinness Theatre, The Helix, The Olympia Theatre and also with Emer’s Wicklow schools in Carlow and Naas. More recently they have performed in the Civic Theatre, Tallaght where they had the time of their lives! They have made some wonderful friends, have had amazing trips to London where they danced in the Pineapple studios and seen West End shows for inspiration of greater things to come! Above all they have had so much fun and laughter!

Emer and her amazing team have given all their pupils the confidence to achieve and a self-belief that will stand to them always. As a ‘Dance Mom’, I have had the privilege of experiencing the excitement and the ‘adrenalin pumping’ enthusiasm of their performances on stage. We, as a family, have loved every minute of our time with The O’Hanlon Stage School and look forward to many more!

My daughter inherited my two left feet for dancing, so I set about enrolling her in dance classes at the age of 4, to spare myself any embarrassment in her teenage years! After two false starts and an anxious child, I discovered the O'Hanlon School of Dance. I have not been disappointed! In fact I am overwhelmed at how my daughter has not only learned to dance and perform, but overcame her childhood shyness, and became confident and self assured.

She now teaches in the school, and has that same love of dance that the O Hanlon teachers instinctively possess. Emer O’Hanlon and her team of teachers have an unusual ability to inspire confidence and self assurance in children of all ages through their love of dance and their sense of fun and encouragement. Children learn in spite of themselves and develop lifelong skills including perseverance, determination and dedication. They are offered the opportunity to grow and develop through summer camps, optional exams, London dance trips, and stage performances for parents and full theater audiences. Tears of joy and pride can be seen in many parents on these nights as children from 3-18 perform effortlessly and professionally!

My son also joined the school at the age of 4 and has developed great friendships which he continues to enjoy as he heads into 5th year. Thanks so much to you all for nurturing and creating a sense of learning through fun in my children, and for your part in helping them to become the people they are today. Thanks for the memories…