Passed down over generations, the rhythmic footwork and rich heritage of Irish dance have found a local home at the Celtic Spirit School of Irish Dance in Naples.

Sisters Claire Gorman and Catherine Gorman-Cordova grew up with a strong Irish heritage. The two started Irish dancing when they were young and participated in feiseanna, a Gaelic word for festivals or competitions.

The two opened the school in 2009 after Gorman received a Teagascóir Coimisiún Le Rinci Gaelacha, a teacher qualification that allows dancers to compete in feiseanna under a commission called An Chomdhail.

At the time, the Celtic Spirit School of Irish Dance was the first competitive school in Southwest Florida.

“We are both a competitive and a performance- based Irish dance school,” Gorman- Cordova said.

The dance requires a special athleticism, as dancers keep a rigid upper body with their arms by their sides to highlight the intricate footwork of the traditional style. The contrast between the rapidly moving feet and still torso is referred to as “fire and ice.”

Irish dance consists of a variety of styles including jigs, reels, the hornpipe and the group dance called ceili, an Irish version of square dancing in which many adults participate. Dance masters traveled throughout Ireland to pass down their cultural skills, and these traditional steps are the same used in Ireland and across the world today.

When teaching, Gorman-Cordova dances alongside her students.

“My favorite part of teaching is the choreography, and I think the reason is because that’s where some of the strongest creativity comes through,” Gorman-Cordova said. “What I love is that it’s not only creatively designing the steps but then putting that to music. So, it all comes together in a composition of footwork and teamwork, put to Irish music.”

Helen Totten started dancing at the school in the second grade. She’s now a senior in high school.

“We have and hour and a half classes once a week, which is actually kind of tame compared to a lot of other dance schools,” Totten said. “Our school has always had a family part of it. I’m just having fun learning; our coaches always just wanted us to learn and have fun with it.”

For a feis, which are offered in the U.S. and overseas, the school participates in ceili and solo dancing. Each school has its colors and Celtic knots. Beginner dancers start out wearing leotards or skirts with their school colors; over time, dancers can earn their own traditional Irish dance costumes, called a school dress.

Solo dresses, made in Ireland, are bright and extravagant.

“The reason they are so bright and colorful is because it’s meant to attract the judge’s attention alongside the bouncy curls and the sparkles in competition,” Gorman-Cordova said.

The weight of the dresses ranges from five to 10 pounds. They are worn with ghillies, which resemble ballerina shoes, and poodle socks. The audience can hear the beats the dancers create with their feet because they are wearing trebles, which are heavier shoes with fiberglass on the tip and heel.

The school has had the opportunity to perform overseas: It received an invitation to perform for the Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland, after being scouted at the Naples St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2015. The dancers and their families were among 75 people who traveled for the occasion.

“We got to perform in Cork in Ireland and be a part of the 2015 St. Patrick’s there, and that was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and experience,” Gorman-Cordova said.

Dancer Alexis Borduas attended the trip, and recalls how they prepared to walk in the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“We would take our class onto the streets,” Borduas said. “We would dance up and down the street so that we could get used to being on the road and going up and down in one line. We spent hours and hours on the streets working and making sure that we were all together. It was super fun.”

The dancers at the school are currently between the ages of 6 and 20. Although the primary location is in Naples, Gorman-Cordova provides classes online and in Ave Maria and Marco Island, and the dancers perform all over Southwest Florida.

“I am so grateful for our families and how much I truly believe in that team spirit and family mentality,” Gorman-Cordova said. “It really is a privilege to work with our dancers, to see them grow — and I’m grateful to be part of their lives and get to dance alongside them.”