Kelly Irish Dance
The Kelly School of Irish Dance is home to some of the most fabulous Irish dancers in Rhode Island. We teach traditional and modern Irish Dance with a perfect blend of whimsy, culture, kindness, and fun. Our quirkiness, and signature KSID charm creates dancers who Sparkle & Shine on and off the dance floor. There truly is no place like KSID.
KSID is an internationally renowned Irish dance school, structuring classes not only to prepare dancers for solo dancing, but for performing as part of our performance dance companies, and Ceili teams. Kelly Irish Dancers are made for the stage. Catch a performance and you’ll see what we mean!
Kelly Irish Dancers have been spotted performing throughout the New England & Mid-Atlantic regions, as well as in Arizona, California, Florida, Tennessee, Utah, Washington D.C., Walt Disney World, Canada, Germany, England, and of course Ireland. We love love love to travel and share our love of the dance with audiences around the world.
Irish Dance classes are available in Bristol, Coventry, and Providence, Rhode Island for the littlest of beginners through world champion level dancers. KSID offers both competitive and recreational dance programs, private lessons, workshops, adult classes, and our favourite— performance choreography classes.
Our KSID Coventry Studio was established in 2011 by Meghan Kelly, T.C.R.G. The KSID Coventry Studio is the original home of Kelly Irish Dance, with three studio rooms equipped with sprung dance floors, full length dance mirrors, and plenty of sparkle & shine! In addition to our primary studio, Meghan Kelly offers classes in the Greater Providence area at The Irish Ceilidhe Club of Rhode Island, St. Mary’s Academy, The Lincoln School, and Moses Brown. In 2023 KSID partnered with Rosemary’s School of Dance to bring Irish Dance instruction to even more Rhode Island dancers now offering classes in Bristol, RI.
The Kelly School of Irish Dance is registered with The Irish Dance Commission, An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, CLRG, in Dublin Ireland, The Irish Dancing Teacher’s Association of North America, IDTNA, and The Irish Dance Teacher’s Association of New England, NEIDT. KSID teachers are Safe Sport certified, CPR and AED trained, and fully vetted.
KSID is the only studio in Rhode Island offering classes to preschool age dancers and licensed to offer the leading Irish Dance Preschool program, Jump’n Jig. Jump’n Jig is designed to help preschool aged dancers develop coordination, self-esteem, social skills and the passion to be an Irish Dancer through dance, music, and play.
KSID is:
Meghan Kelly
Studio Owner / Artistic Director / TCRG
Meghan began her love of Irish dance 34 years ago with Michael Smith of the Smith-Houlihan Academy & Deirdre Blomberg of the Goulding School of Irish Dance. In 2006 Meghan began teaching Irish dance at the Irish Ceilidhe Club of Rhode Island, and by 2011 the KSID Studio was realized.
Kelly Irish Dancers amaze & astound, not just their families and audiences, but their biggest fan, Meghan. She is easily brought to tears when seeing a dancer shine with confidence on stage.
Meghan is a former champion Irish dancer and a certified TCRG, with accreditation through An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha. Meghan resides in Providence with her cats Anya and Felix and KSID’s official photographer, Mr. Matt. She’s always planning and scheming KSID’s next big thing so that The Kelly School of Irish Dance can continue to create opportunities for dancers to travel the globe with their dancing.
In 2022, Meghan, along with her sister Kathleen were recognized for their excellence in teaching, receiving the Global Irish Dance Teaching Award.
Kathleen Chilton
Director / Lead Instructor / TCRG
Kathleen Kelly Chilton, aka Miss Kitty— Ms. Meghan’s little sister, joined KSID in 2009. Kathleen brings 33 years of Irish dance training to her dancers. Kathleen is responsible for creating precise & sharp performers and competitors. Listen to her corrections and your dancer is sure to shine.
Kathleen creates champion level choreography with ease. Her sense of timing and musicality for the dance is impeccable. Miss Kitty is an inseparable part of Team KSID.
Kathleen is proud to hold several national and regional titles in Ceili dancing and is delighted to bring Ceili dancing back to KSID this dance season and looks forward to teams each year at the New England Oireachtas
Kathleen is a Disney fanatic and loves seeing Kelly dancers take the stage in Walt Disney World. She is a founding member of our KSID Mouse Club and is looking forward to our next Disney performance this December.
Kathleen is certified TCRG in the open platform organizations Cumann Rince Dea Mheasa and the World Irish Dance Association. Kathleen has aced all twelve of the CLRG TCRG required grade exams. In 2023, Kathleen became a licensed instructor for Jigs and Swigs® and is bringing the Jigs & Swigs Workout to a brewery near you!
CLAIRE JALBERT
Instructor / Choreographer / Coach
Claire Jalbert is an original, first generation Kelly Irish Dancer. Claire started dancing with KSID in 2008 and joined our teaching team in 2023. Claire and KSID have grownup alongside one and other and the affect and drive Claire continues to have on KSID is immeasurable.
Claire inspires and motivates our current generation of dancers. Is passionate about fitness and training of our athletes. Her drive is infectious and the future of KSID looks so bright with Miss Claire part of the Team.
Claire is graduate of the University of Connecticut and applies her physio background to both her classes and her current goals of becoming a certified personal trainer. In addition to teaching at KSID, Claire is a licensed instructor for Jigs and Swigs®.
Claire has a gift for choreography, both performance and competitive styles. She is a fantastic motivator and coach. Claire is delighted to be part of our 2024 Worlds, Nationals, Great Britans’s and Oireachtas Coaching Team and looks forward to supporting our dancers this year in Glasgow, Texas, London, and Hartford.
Travels with Claire are most fitting as during her time as competitor at KSID she became our first dancer to compete on the West Coast in California and to compete across the Atlantic in international championships competitions in Germany and Ireland.
Claire is part of the founding casts of both the KSID Mouse Club and Studio2Stage and is looking forward to supporting and training future performers on stage and with their performance and competitive goals.