Q&A

☘️ABSOLUTELY!! Duffy promotes diversity & camaraderie! EveryBODY can dance! We look forward to fostering great dance adventures for you! Dancers typically wait till age 4 to begin classes. If younger, we offer a trial class to make sure those littles have a happy dance experience. Please view our other prompted questions for further details! ☘️We look forward to dancing with you!☘️

☘️Do a FREE trial class! We love to see our dancers happy. So we are happy to meet with you and help with those tough decisions. Come in and give it a go...for FREE! ☘️We look forward to dancing with you!☘️

☘️ Easy as 1-2-Tree: 1.) TEXT 413.4Duffy.1 (413-438-3391) with: ~Contact Name ~Dancer Name ~Age ~Class & Date you wish to try 2.) SHOW UP for desired class: ~5 minutes early to meet teacher ~Sign participation waiver ~Ready to dance with gym like clothes ~Hair held back from face ~Full bottle of plain water *Shoes are not required to start. No street shoes are allowed in studio. 🌳3.) REMINDERS: ~September is an "Intensive' BONUS month! You may still attend! Please arrive at 4:45PM Tuesday-Friday (9/10-9/27) so we may greet & prep you properly. *Intensives are incredibly effective conditioning & training for dancers! If you're able to attend, we highly recommend it! ~Classes may be out for holiday or weather cancellations. We will do our best to keep you informed. ~Please see the "Mid-Semester" enrollment question for times we do NOT recommend doing a trial class. ☘️We look forward to dancing with you!☘️

☘️YES! Happens often! Especially after March performances.☘️ Mid-Semester enrollment is pro-rated. We recommend starting as soon as you are able to prevent you/your dancer feeling "behind" on material or "not as good" in comparison to other dancers who've had more dance time. Private lessons are always available to help boost a dancer's capabilities & confidence. We DO NOT recommend joining during our show season. It can overwhelm new dancers & disrupt currently enrolled dancers. Show, or as we often call it... St. Patrick's Season is typically the last week of February through the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade. Duffy Academy strives to provide an environment that creates a positive dance experience for our students. We have loads of encouragement & fun times along the way! Happy dancers are our soul food! ☘️We look forward to dancing with you!☘️

☘️YES! DONORS: We greatly appreciate donation support for our dancers and community outreach mission! Donations may be made on our donations page or in person. You can do a general donation or specify an area you would like to support like: dancer sponsorship, costume assistance, float assistance, etc. Please take advantage of the tax deduction! Thank you for your support! May the kindness return to you! ☘️ NEED ASSISTANCE?: Dancers needing assistance have and ALWAYS will be helped. You have a place at our table & our dance floor. As we are just beginning our non-profit journey we are not able to provide full sponsorships at this time. We are working to change that. Don't let that stop you from dancing! You go right ahead & follow the "how to attend free trial" prompts. Add "Need Assistance" to the text". We'll sort it together. ☘️ ☘️We look forward to dancing with you!☘️

☘️GIVE IT A GO! We encourage dancers to try all appropriate classes to see which class(es) are the most enjoyable. Here to help you make the best choice. ☘️BASIC & ACCELERATED LEARNING Dancers benefit from the consecutive strengthening and technique provided to them to prepare them for the dances they receive. Dance steps & choreography are given in sequential order. Students typically attend a class level for 2-3 years to master the material & techniques before advancing. Students are encouraged to take multiple classes a week. Dancers experience their strength & stamina rapidly improve with more class time. This assists dancers to advance more quickly. We will support your dance goals however often you are able to join us! ☘️BEST TIME TO JOIN Dancers benefit the most when they are able to enroll at the beginning of the Fall Semester. Especially if wishing to participate in our show season. Gives them more time to learn & prepare. Unable to join in September? No worries. Still welcome to enroll! We encourage joining as soon as dancers are able rather than waiting until the Spring Semester begins. The more training a student has the more material they will have & be able to perform with. Dancers joining mid-semester often enjoy the confidence boost a private lesson can give before joining an ongoing class. It is NOT recommended to join during peak show season. This is to prevent new dancers becoming overwhelmed & current dancers becoming disrupted. Duffy Academy enjoys doing several performances throughout the year. Most of our performances will be done around March... our "St. Patrick's Season". ☘️EVENT PARTICIPATION: Dancers are not required to participate in shows. We hope to encourage them to feel excited & comfortable to do so if they like. Decades of teaching has produce beautiful gleanings from current & former students. We learned that taking part in our events has given students more comfort & confidence in taking initiative in other areas of their lives. Event practice & preparation happens throughout the school regardless of participation. Dancers who enjoy performing & train hard may be eligible for Duffy Team. Much like a varsity team of another sport. Team dancers are taught the most challenging/advanced material. Dancers who exhibit excellence in their commitment to their dancing & fellow dancers may be eligible for Team tryouts. Those selected may enter a Team Contract of their commitments. For their commitment Team dancers participate in exclusive shows & events. Whatever you your Irish dance goals are, we hope to support you every hop, skip & jump.2.3 along the way! Let's have a great time dancing! ☘️ ☘️We look forward to dancing with you!☘️

☘️Competition: Not at this time. Enjoying the focus on culture, connection to the community & wholesome camaraderie. We respect & enjoy supporting all hard-working dance-letes. Regardless of the stage taken. Happy to connect dancers with the best support for their dance goals. Whether that is with Duffy or a neighboring competition school. ☘️ ☘️Performances: Yes! MANY!! Performances are for all ages and levels. Performing for friends, families, a variety of community venues & for renowned venues & musicians throughout New England. Dancers are not required to participate in shows. We hope to encourage them to feel excited & comfortable to do so if they like. Decades of teaching has produce beautiful gleanings from current & former students. We learned that taking part in our events gave students more comfort & confidence in taking initiative in other areas of their lives. Most performances are done within our local community. Schools, nursing homes, musician & seisiun collaborations, festivals, parades, & more! We enjoy performing at renowned venues & with various famous musicians as well. See our 'Featured Reviews' for more. Duffy Academy enjoys sharing our love of Irish dance with everyone! If we can help support our community while doing so...even better!! We frequently do shows to support community awareness & fundraising events! We hope to see YOU enjoying one of our performances or dancing together with us at one! ☘️ ☘️We look forward to dancing with you!☘️

☘️Depending on availability & venue compatibility, we are happy to perform at your event or facility. Please review the details below & submit a 'Show Request'. ☘️Performances & Programs Tailored to fit your needs: ~Indoor & outdoor events. ~Special programs for educational facilities/events. ~Custom programs to teach YOU & YOUR GUESTS Irish dancing at your facility/event. ~Can come with or without a full professional sound system for our performance. ~Our dancers adapt well to "unique" dancing spaces. ~We LOVE live music and look forward to musician collaborations whenever we are able! ☘️Details Needed: ~Location ~Desired date(s) ~Requested time & duration of performance/program ~Brief description of your event & what you are hoping to book ~Dance floor details: surface, size of cleared space & other descriptions (Ex: wood or carpet, 10'x20' of cleared space, elevated stage 2' high) ~Access to electrical outlet for PA system (We can access a generator) ~Access to water & restrooms for performers. (Can prep for water) *Not sure how to answer the above or need assistance? Happy to help you. ☘️We look forward to dancing with you!☘️