Irish Dance teacher Kim Mullinex looks on as students in the children’s class perform skips during warm-ups.
Local dance instructor looks to share what she loves in the art of Irish dancing
C
arter County and the surrounding areas of the Appalachian Region are home to many different rhythms: country, bluegrass and folk music among the most popular. But local dance instructor Kimberly Mullinex wants to bring a bit of Ireland to the rhythm of the county. Mullinex, who is originally from Hampton, moved to Boston earlier in life but eventually made her way back home where she teaches Irish dancing classes for Appalachian Irish Dance Com-
Story and Photos by Nic Miller
history and traditions that bring life to the dances. “What our dance company is working towards is being a fullout performance company, but also adhering to the traditional ideals of Irish dancing. Those who take the class learn all of the appropriate dances they are supposed to know as well as the history of the dance, but they also learn about the history of the people and the Gaelic language. It’s really an immersion into the culture,” said Mullinex. Mullinex currently teaches
pany at Watts Dance Studio. “I am originally from this area, and I moved to Boston where I took up Irish dancing and was apparently pretty good at it,” said Mullinex. “What I do at Watts Dance Studio now is basically bring that same idea of traditional Irish dancing to this area. Our region has such a rich heritage of Scotch-Irish anyway, so I offer those classes to kids and adults both; it’s such a great introduction into an incredible dance form.” To Mullinex, Irish dancing is not just about the dance, but the 6
approximately 40 students, split between children and adults. “Adults have so much more on their plate,” Mullinex said about the distinction between the adults and the children she teaches. “They are parents, they work, and this is their thing that they can come to and turn everything else off. It is something that is just as much about your brain as it is your muscles, and it allows them to step out and learn something new and to learn how to work together with one another.” Mullinex has collected some
