Irish dance school has national reputation
By KERRI BARTLETT
For Brentwood Home Page
“Arms!” and “Hold up your chin!” ring out across the dance floor as dancers with perfect posture and synchronized jigging feet race by on the dance floor practicing for the next “feis” (pronounced fesh), or culture festival.  

Traditional Irish dance requires dancers to master the technique of holding arms down, completely straight and still with fingers gently clinched as if “holding spare change” with chins proudly elevated, while their feet do the rest of the fast-paced steps, including the “treble reel” and “hornpipe.”

After a long professional and competitive career as an Irish dancer, Kristin Butke, owner and director at Kristin Butke School of Irish Dance, coaches her dancers to be aware not only of their footwork but to be aware of how they hold their upper body.

“What I love the most about teaching is seeing the excitement of the dancers when they master a step, giving high fives and saying, ‘You got it!’” says Butke, whose enthusiasm seems to have rubbed off on her students.

 “It is a fun feeling that moment when you are in the air, and it feels like you are flying,” says Dancer Brooke Elliott, 11, who attends Brentwood Middle School.

 “It is where I want to be all the time,” Eleanor Smith, who is also 11 and a BMS students shares. “It’s the joy inside me.”

Sydney Klyczek, 12, says that she enjoyed being a part of the school so much that she didn’t want to give it up when she moved from Brentwood. Now, she travels from Virginia to attend classes when she can.

Passion, practice pay off

Born into a family passionate about Irish dance and music, Butke began dancing at the age of 4 in her birthplace of Akron, Ohio. By the age of 7, she had won the Irish dance regional title. However, it wasn’t until she was 14 that she won the title again.

During those seven years between regional wins, she faced her toughest competitor who claimed the title seven years in a row. Determined to beat her, Butke dedicated herself to improving her dance technique, strength and agility by creating a strict practice schedule. It was the driving force that became the foundation of her lifelong commitment to Irish dance.

“I would get up at 6 in the morning and practice before school, go to volleyball practice after school, then practice dance again when I got home 5 to 6 days a week. On Sundays, we would drive 3-4 hours to Detroit so that I could attend class at a studio.”

Butke went on to train under Tim O’Hare, the first American male to win back-to-back world championships. She won the bronze medal herself in 1997. After the world championships -- where she proved that she was skilled enough to enter the Irish dance world professionally -- Butke was able to tour Europe. She eventually was cast as principle dancer in the role of Morrighan in the widely acclaimed Irish musical and dance production Lord of the Dance as performed in Las Vegas. She danced opposite Michael Flately in the role of Cleopatra in Feet of Flames.

Though her passion for Irish dance ignited when she was a little girl, it continues to burn just as strong today as a wife and mother of two boys at the age of 35.

“When I dance, I feel comfortable, at home. Everything else, the stressors of the day, just fall away, and it’s me time,” she says.

School began in 2002

After moving to Nashville to initially become a private instructor for the popular Irish dance troupe and Irish band, The Willis Clan, Butke started Kristin Butke School in 2002 out of a desire to establish a place of community for those who love Irish dance. Because there wasn’t a studio where she lived growing up, she wanted to create a place where others could go to enjoy the art form conveniently in their own community.

While she was involved with Lord of the Dance, Butke learned about Jenny Marshall of London. Marshall shares the same passion for Irish dance and teaching as Butke, who recruited her as a teacher. Marshall only planned to stay in Nashville for a year, but while visiting her home in London, it only took two weeks before she began missing her students and classes at KBS. She’s now been with the studio since 2009.

 “I love Irish dance enough to leave London and move here. It’s addicting for me,” Marshall said. “There is always a new step to learn and master. I love teaching because I enjoy seeing the light bulb go off for my students.

 “I think the kids love Irish dance because the dancing and the music are fast-paced and energetic. They get to move around a lot.”

The school is the home of the most Irish dancers in Middle Tennessee who compete at the regional, national and international levels. In July, dancer Emma-Cates Hare, 11, placed fifth in The North American Irish Dance Championship held at Opryland Hotel. She competed against dancers from Ireland, Scotland, Australia and England. While KBS students include several world qualifiers and world medalists who attend competitions all over the world, the school is not all about competition. Butke said that the school is for anyone interested in learning more about Irish dance and having fun, whether they want to compete or not.

Kristin Butke School is located at 1710 General George Patton Dr., Suite 107. For more information visit their website at kristinbutkeschool.com.