EDMOND—Dublin Irish Dance performed “Stepping Out” for 538 concertgoers on February 20 at Armstrong Auditorium. The show depicted Irish immigration to America after the Great Famine of the 1800s. It was the sixth event of the 2017–2018 Armstrong International Cultural Foundation concert series, and the ninth major Irish dance event at Armstrong since the building opened in 2010.

McGuire Academy Irish dance instructors Paris and Alexa Turgeon, who teach Imperial Academy students on the campus of Herbert W. Armstrong College, attended the event.

“The music and dances were lively and upbeat,” Paris Turgeon said. “The band and dancers did a wonderful job of keeping the audience engaged and involved. Overall, I thought it was a very entertaining and enjoyable tribute to Irish culture.”

“I thought they had great lines and formations in their choreographies, and the live music made the whole performance really engaging,” Alexa Turgeon said.

The performance sustained a strong Irish dance tradition at Armstrong Auditorium. StepCrew performed there in 2015 and 2016. Irish band The Chieftains appeared in 2012, allowing Imperial Academy dancers to perform with them for part of their show. Irish dance has also been featured in Philadelphia Church of God musicals at the auditorium: Jeremiah—a Musical and Step-dancing Extravaganza (2013), David: The Endless Throne Begins (2014), Morning Star: The Acts of Waldo the Apostle (2014), The Book of Isaiah (2015), and The Widow’s Might—The Story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz in (2016)

Dublin Irish Dance is a troupe of world-champion Irish step dancers accompanied by an eight-member traditional Irish band and vocalist whose goal is to bring Celtic culture to life and to bring it to the New World. Its members have performed with Celtic Woman and in Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.

The 2017–2018 Armstrong International Cultural Foundation concert series continues on March 15, when the Staatskapelle Weimar orchestra performs “An Evening With Brahms” as part of the 536-year-old German group’s first-ever North American tour.