Anne-Marie
Irish Dance Brings Message of Tolerance to Bronx Students
By Anne-Marie Hayden
Behind the windowless metal doors of P.S. 59, located in the East Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx, is the unlikely sound of fiddles, flutes and dancing hard shoes. An Irish dancing troupe, called The Keltic Dreams, is practicing for an upcoming performance.
The session is led by Caroline Duggan, a beautiful dark-haired, blue-eyed 31-year-old from Dublin, who teaches music and Irish dancing to the kids, who are predominantly Hispanic and black. Having achieved huge recognition both here and in Ireland, Duggan and her students have a powerful message of unity, tolerance and triumph.
Duggan leads the students at P.S. 59 in dance.
“The meaning of the Keltic Dreams is to show how cultures can be blended together…and to show them in a positive light. The power that comes from this message is really strong,” said Duggan.
It all started in 2001 when Duggan enrolled in a teaching abroad program and was assigned to P.S. 59, a public school in a low-income area of the Bronx. She thought she would teach music for a year and then return to Ireland. That year was merely the beginning.
“’Why are you talking like that Miss?’ one of my students asked me. I replied ‘Because I’m from Ireland,’” Duggan recalled with a laugh. Duggan’s students were fascinated with her Irish accent and culture.
To help remind herself of home, Duggan hung a photo of Riverdance, the world famous Irish dancing phenomenon, in the classroom. The photo ignited a huge curiosity among her students about Irish dancing. All the talk about Ireland and dancing gave way to some impromptu Irish dance lessons. These lessons soon became very popular and an after-school program was set up. Now with strict GPA levels and behavioral requirements to gain entry to and retain a position in the class, it has proved a hit with students and parents alike. “As a result of students working hard to enter the class, I have noticed an increase in GPA levels,” said Christine McHugh, the school’s principal.
The students, too, enjoy the classes. “I like the way my shoes sound when I’m dancing and how much power I have while I’m doing it,” saidVanessa Marmalajos, 9.
Duggan is a lover of music and an advocate of humanity and community. She took up singing at the age of four, playing the flute at 10, the violin at 12 and the piano at 13. She graduated in 2000 from Trinity College, Dublin, with a degree in music and history education. She also earned a master’s in the arts.
Students are eager to earn a place in the class and no wonder, with two class trips to Ireland under their belt, and another planned for 2010. “I just thought, why not bring them to the place where Irish dancing was born, connect them with the land and the people,’” Duggan said. Simple as that? Well, not really. Duggan had to get passports for most of the 33 students. That entailed tracking down estranged parents, and in one case, resulted in an emotional reunion between a girl and her father, who was living in South America.
“We went to a school and there were Irish kids and they were telling us about them and we were telling them about us…” said Lia Bangari, 10, about the 2008 trip to Ireland. These trips have broadened the horizons of the Bronx children and were a demonstration in cultural unity. Duggan and the kids showed how a positive attitude and an understanding of people can bridge cultural divides. The Keltic Dreams performed for the president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, and on the Irish national television program “The Late Late Show,” which is broadcast every Friday evening. Their message was felt and heard all over Ireland. Fundraising for the 2010 trip is currently underway.
The troupe has also travelled within the United States. One trip was to Washington D.C., where they performed at an event sponsored by the American Ireland Fund, supporting cultural relations between Ireland and the United States. The dancers hoped to meet President Barack Obama, who was informed that they were in town. However, a meeting did not materialize and while disappointed, the troupe is determined to perform in the White House one day.
Duggan does not get paid for these classes or all her efforts. Class trips to Ireland were paid for with money raised through donations, fundraising concerts performed by the troupe and the generous support of the former New York Consul General of Ireland, Tim O’Connor. Duggan has gained much recognition for her achievements. She and The Keltic Dreams were featured on the front page of the New York Times in 2008 and Duggan was personally honored at the annual “Black and Green” awards held by The Irish Echo Newspaper in New York.
The Keltic Dreams Dance Troupe continues to grow and inspire the kids that go through the program. “When I’m dancing, it expresses another part of me…I just feel the need to dance, dance, dance,” said Erica, 12.
