Interview with John Jennings recorded on Jul 24, 2018/conducted by Kristyn Fontanella.
John Jennings began dancing competitively for the Kenny Verlin School and then the Donny Golden School, where he won the World Championships in 1988, becoming Donny’s second male world champion.
John is a certified adjudicator and teaches at the Shea-Jennings School of Irish Dance in New Jersey.
The full interview with John is available upon request at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library.
Transcripts and audio of the full Our Steps Oral History Collection is accessible at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
@jeromerobbinsdancedivision@sheajennings_irishdancers@fontanella_dance
Interview with Stephen Gallagher recorded on Jul 18, 2018/conducted by Siobhan Burke.
Stephen Gallagher, from New York, danced for the Golden School of Irish Dancing. Stephen was one of the first male Irish-Americans to win the World Championships in Irish dancing in 1976.
To access the full interview with Stephen, head to the Oral History Collection Section on . Link in Bio!
Transcripts and audio of the full Our Steps Oral History Collection is accessible at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
@jeromerobbinsdancedivision@stevgallagher@sioburke
Interview with Cara Butler recorded on Jul 24, 2018/conducted by Siobhan Burke.
Cara Butler, from New York, danced for the Golden School of Irish Dancing. Cara is a traditional dancer and choreographer, having performed as soloist with “The Chieftains” for many years and in her own dance collective, “The StepCrew”.
To access the full interview with Cara, head to the Oral History Collection Section on . Link in Bio!
Transcripts and audio of the full Our Steps Oral History Collection is accessible at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
@jeromerobbinsdancedivision@cb_danceyogawellness@the.stepcrew@donnygolden_newyork@donnygoldenschool@golden.donny@sioburke
From Sinéad Rushe´s commissioned essay “Strange but natural“ for Our Steps Dialogue Project, published July 2025.
Sinéad is Lead Acting Tutor at RADA London and Artistic Director of Creative Actor Training.
To access the full essay from Sinéad, head to the Dialogue on . Link in Bio!
Interview with Winifred Horan recorded on Jul 19, 2018/conducted by Siobhan Burke.
Winifred Horan, from New York, danced for the Golden School of Irish Dancing.
She is an Irish-American fiddler, composer, champion dancer, recording artist, renowned instructor and founder of the award winning group Solas.
To access the full interview with Winifred, head to the Oral History Collection Section on . Link in Bio!
Transcripts and audio of the full Our Steps Oral History Collection is accessible at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
@jeromerobbinsdancedivision@winhoran@sioburke
Interview with Donny Golden recorded on Jul 23, 2018/conducted by Siobhan Burke.
Donny Golden, from Brooklyn NY, danced for the Jimmy Erwin School. He opened his own school, the Donny Golden School in the early 1970’s and is still teaching, performing and adjudicating today.
To access the full interview with Donny, head to the Oral History Collection Section on . Link in Bio!
Transcripts and audio of the full Our Steps Oral History Collection is accessible at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
@jeromerobbinsdancedivision@donnygolden_newyork@donnygoldenschool@golden.donny@sioburke
Interview with the late Joan McNiff Cass recorded on Jul 26, 2018/conducted by Siobhan Burke.
Originally from Belfast, Joan McNiff Cass emigrated to New York in the late 1940’s and learned to dance from her brothers Peter and Cyril McNiff. She later joined the McNiff School, teaching alongside her brother, Cyril.
To access the full interview with Joan, head to the Oral History Collection Section on .
Link in Bio!
Transcripts and audio of the full Our Steps Oral History Collection is accessible at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
@jeromerobbinsdancedivision@sioburke
Interview with Thomas Cashin recorded on Jul 25, 2018/conducted by Kristyn Fontanella.
Thomas Cashin, from Brooklyn NY, danced for the Jimmy Erwin School of Irish Dance.
To access the full interview with Thomas, head to the Oral History Collection Section on . Link in Bio!
Transcripts and audio of the full Our Steps Oral History Collection is accessible at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
@tomcashin@jeromerobbinsdancedivision@fontanella_dance
Revisiting our recent Dialogue Essay by revered dance artist Mary Nunan. Always insightful and thoughtful, Mary reflects on her earliest memories of Irish dance which propelled her towards a life in dance and education. Head to and click on the Dialogue to read the full essay.
💃Irish dance is more than movement, it is memory, identity, and culture in motion.
In late January, the Embassy of Ireland in France welcomed dance artists Jean Butler and Cara Butler to share the “Our Steps Archive”, bringing to life the steps, stories, and artistry of generations past and present.
Through recordings, interviews, publications and performance Our Steps celebrates the richness of Irish dance as a cultural practice, tracing its roots from Ireland to the global diaspora.
Jean and Cara’s lecture-performance reminded us how each step carries history, identity, and creativity, keeping Irish dance alive for generations to come.
#IrishDance #CulturalHeritage #JeanButler #CaraButler #ourstepsproject
