Weekly classes · Irish Dancing
Irish Dancing
Classes in
Plymouth.
Weekly Irish dance classes in Plymouth city centre for grown-ups who've always wanted to try a reel, a jig or that famous upright, arms-pinned style — taught slowly, step by step, in a room where nobody has ever done it before either. £10 a class, £32 for a four-week block, no contract and no partner.
Arms still, feet flying. Irish dancing looks impossible from the sofa and turns out to be a handful of steps repeated with growing speed.
Reels · jigs · soft shoe · adults from 17Join the class
Your first reel
is closer than you think.
Fill in the short form and we'll send over the Irish dancing timetable, the city-centre studio we use and what to bring for week one.
- £10 to try a class, £32 to book four in a row
- Soft-shoe first — no hard shoes, no partner, no pressure
- You'll hear back from a real person within a day
Class details
Irish dancing,
every week.
At a glance
- Location Plymouth City Centre
- Day Sent with your timetable
- Time Evenings
- Level Beginner-friendly
- Age group 17 – 75
- Partner needed No
About Irish dance classes in Plymouth
Our Irish dance classes in Plymouth exist for adults who never had the chance as children, or who did and let it slide. The style is famous for its contradictions — a perfectly still upper body over feet that seem to be doing something impossible — and the secret is that it's built from a short list of basic steps: the point, the hop, the one-two-three, the seven and threes. Learn those cleanly, at a walking pace, and a reel is just those steps arranged to music. Speed comes on its own, usually sooner than you'd think.
It's one of the most rhythmic classes on our full Plymouth timetable, and it shares a lot of DNA with tap — both are about making the feet do the talking, and dancers often move between the two. If a group of friends catches the bug, the Irish dancing hen party class takes the same steps and turns them into a one-off celebration.
How the class is structured
Every session opens with ankles and calves — Irish dancing asks a lot of them, so we spend the first ten minutes warming up feet, working through posture and practising the bounce that keeps you light. The middle of the class is technique: one or two new steps drilled on the spot, then travelled across the room, then linked to the ones from last week. The final stretch puts them into a short reel or jig sequence that lengthens week by week over a four-week block. Beginners stay on the soft-shoe basics for as long as they need; anyone returning to the style after years away can pick up hard-shoe rhythm work when the timing is right. The music is real — fiddles, pipes and bodhrán — and the tempo starts gentle and creeps up as the room gets faster. We close with a stretch for the calves, because tomorrow they will remind you what you did.
Where it goes
A block of
Irish dancing.
Irish dancing rewards repetition, so progress over four weeks is steady and very satisfying. Here's roughly how it runs.
Posture and points
Standing tall, arms at your sides, and the basic point-hop-back that everything else grows from.
The one-two-threes
Travelling steps and the seven-and-threes of a reel — the point where it starts to feel like actual dancing.
Jig time
Switching to the lilting six-eight rhythm of a light jig, with the rises and sinks that give it its swing.
Reel at speed
A full short reel to proper tempo, danced in lines with the rest of the class — smiles optional, usually unavoidable.
Why Irish dancing
What Irish dancing
gives back.
Beyond the steps, the things regulars mention when we ask why they keep coming through the Plymouth drizzle.
- Calves, ankles and feet stronger than any gym machine manages
- Sharp rhythm — you'll hear a reel differently for ever
- Posture that carries over to standing at a desk
- A proper cardio hit disguised as a tune
- Balance and footwork that help every other style
- A living tradition you can join at any age
- Something to dance at a wedding or a St Patrick's night
- An hour where the music does the thinking for you
Irish dancing questions
Ask us
about Irish dancing.
Ten plain-spoken replies to the questions adults in Plymouth ask about Irish dancing. Not answered here? The form above is the quickest way to reach us.
01Is this a class for adults or children?
Adults, from 17 up to 75 — everyone in the room is a grown-up learning, or re-learning, the style. If you're enquiring for a younger dancer, mention it on the form and we'll advise.
02I have no Irish heritage — does that matter?
Not in the slightest. Irish dancing is danced all over the world by people with no connection to Ireland at all, and our class is open to anybody who likes the music and fancies the challenge.
03What shoes do I need?
Soft shoes or light trainers with a thin, flexible sole are ideal to begin with — ballet-style pumps also work. Hard shoes come later, if at all, and are something dancers buy for themselves; we don't provide or lend any footwear.
04Is Irish dancing solo or in pairs?
No. Irish dancing in this class is solo and line-based, so you'll dance alongside other people rather than with a partner. Come alone or bring a friend — either works.
05Is it a hard workout?
It's more demanding than it looks. Because you stay upright and light on your toes, the calves and ankles work continuously, and by week two most people notice new muscles. You set the intensity, and we build up gradually.
06How much are the classes?
It's £10 if you drop in for one session, or £32 when you take a four-week block, which is £8 a class. There's no sign-up fee and no subscription that rolls over.
07Which part of the city do you use?
The class is held at a studio we hire in Plymouth city centre, with the station, the main bus stops and a car park all a short walk off. Which studio and which room is confirmed in the timetable we send once you get in touch.
08Will I learn a full reel or jig?
Yes — over a four-week block you'll learn a short reel and be introduced to a light jig. They stay simple by design, so they're danceable at a party or a session without needing months of practice.
09What if I did Irish dancing as a child?
Wonderful — it comes back faster than you'd expect. Tell us on the form and the teacher can pitch the steps a notch higher for you, and point you towards hard-shoe rhythm work when you're ready.
10Could I try a single Irish dancing session before paying for four?
Of course — the £10 drop-in exists for exactly that. Try a session, see how the style feels on your feet, and start a four-week block afterwards if you're hooked.