Meet the Instructors

Kylie is a regionally, nationally, and internationally placed Irish dancer. She began her dancing career at a young age exploring the genres of ballet, tap, and jazz. Eventually, she found her way to Irish dance and completely fell in love with it! Since then she has traveled across the country and the ocean competing in Irish dance. A few years after the studio she attended shut down, she and her close friends reunited to  form The Step Sisters, Pittsburgh's Irish dance troupe. Together they decided to perform at events across the city and offer non-competitive Irish dance classes. By shifting her focus to performing instead of competing, Kylie has found a reignited passion for the art form. Kylie teaches our Youth Beginner classes and uses her degree in business marketing to manage the studio's marketing and merchandise. She loves helping our youngest dancers prepare for their debut performances and gain confidence in themselves as dancers!

Brigid began dancing at the age of four, inspired by her older sister who started dancing shortly before her. Brigid has always loved performing with her friends and working towards goals together with them. Her love for Irish dance has allowed her to travel all over the country and to Ireland for competition. She even reached the highest competitive level of Irish dance. When presented with the opportunity to join The Step Sisters, Brigid enthusiastically agreed. Now she shares her love for Irish dancing with her friends and their audiences, without the stress of competition. Brigid is an assistant teacher at The Traditional Irish Arts Academy and helps with performance and event planning while balancing her studies at Robert Morris University.

Sheila Mary has been Irish dancing for 17 years. In that time she has placed regionally, nationally, and internationally, with her greatest competitive title being an "All- Ireland Medalist" in 2019. After dealing with serious injuries and witnessing the unhealthy aspects of the competitive dance world first-hand, Sheila decided to approach Irish dance from a new perspective. With the help of her friends, she started The Step Sisters and The Traditional Irish Arts Academy. She is now determined to spread the love and beauty of Irish dance across the city through performances and classes for dancers of all ages. In addition to her dancing experience, Sheila holds a degree in exercise science, minor in psychology, and certification in mat Pilates, all of which she hopes to use to improve the way dancers move and train. Sheila Mary's goal is to help dancers protect their physical, mental, and emotional health while providing opportunities for them to experience the joys of performing.