Dance Awards Ireland: Ballet School Winners and Finalists

Rebecca Flynn of the Daisy School of Dance won the Dance Educator Award at Dance Awards Ireland 2026, and Rachel Goode of The Goode School of Dance won Leadership in Dance Education. Both teach ballet, and both sit on the committee of the Irish Ballet Teachers Association, Flynn as vice-chair and Goode as treasurer. The gala was held on Saturday 24 October 2026 at the Round Room in the Mansion House, Dublin.

2026 winners from ballet schools

• Dance Educator Award: Rebecca Flynn, founder of the Daisy School of Dance, Maynooth and Dunshaughlin

• Leadership in Dance Education: Rachel Goode, founder of The Goode School of Dance, Dún Laoghaire

• Dance Studio of the Year: Jill O'Neill School of Dance, Dublin

• Dancer of the Year 15–17: Sophie Murney, Kaleidoscope Gym Cheer & Dance, Carryduff

• Dancer of the Year 18+: Ryan McKibbin, Kaleidoscope Gym Cheer & Dance, Carryduff

2026 finalists from ballet schools

• The Goode School of Dance: Dance Studio/School of the Year (Dublin), Dance Training Programme. Rachel Goode was also a finalist for Lifetime Achievement in Dance, and teacher Emma Hayward for the Dance Educator Award.

• Daisy School of Dance: Dance Studio/School of the Year (Leinster)

• Ruth Shine School of Dance, Blessington: Dance Studio/School of the Year (Leinster). Ruth Shine was a finalist for the Dance Educator Award and Leadership in Dance Education.

• Kidkast, Drogheda: Dance Studio/School of the Year (Leinster), Social Impact through Dance, Inclusive Dance Programme. Tracey Martin was a finalist for Leadership in Dance Education and Dance and Well-being Champion.

• Genevieve Ryan Dance Academy, Galway: Community Dance Project, for A Thriller in Eyre Square

• Pinehill Studios, Letterkenny: Priya Fox, Emerging Dance Artist

2025 winners from ballet schools

• Cultural Legacy & Heritage Award: The Goode School of Dance, for more than 30 years of teaching and productions since 1989

• Youth Organisation of the Year: The Kildare Academy of Dance, Naas, home of the Kildare Youth Ballet Company

• Dance Performance of the Year: Leinster School of Dance, Moate, for its schools performance at Perform in the RDS

• Dance Curriculum Innovation Award and Dance Heritage Preservation Award: the Irish Ballet Teachers Association, for its Creative Dance and Movement module, now one of the Junior Certificate short courses. Rachel Goode accepted both awards as the association's treasurer.

2025 finalists from ballet schools

• The Goode School of Dance: Dance Educator of the Year (Rachel Goode and Emma Hayward), Dance Ensemble/Group Performance of the Year, Youth Development through Dance, Choreography of the Year

• The Kildare Academy of Dance: Dance Studio of the Year, Inclusive Dance Programme of the Year, Dance Educator of the Year

• Leinster School of Dance: Dance Studio of the Year, Dance Training Programme of the Year, Performance/Showcase of the Year, Choreography of the Year, Youth Organisation of the Year, Inclusive Dance Programme of the Year

About Dance Awards Ireland

Dance Awards Ireland is an all-island awards gala for every form of dance, from ballet and contemporary to street, Irish and cultural dance. Nina Shannon founded it with Victoria Campbell and Peter Shannon, and the first gala was held on 25 October 2025 at the Round Room in the Mansion House, with Brian Friedman as guest of honour. He is now its patron.

Dancers, teachers, schools and projects are nominated through the organiser's website, and judges choose the finalists and winners. Dance Studio/School of the Year is judged in five regions, Dublin, Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster, and the regional winners go forward for an all-Ireland title.

The 2026 gala weekend included seven masterclasses at BPM Dance Studio in East Wall. Former Scottish Ballet dancer Niall McMahon taught the classical ballet masterclass on Sunday 25 October.

Dance Awards Ireland is run separately from the Golden Dance Awards.

New Generation

New Generation is the organiser's year-long programme for dancers aged 15 to 25. The five 2026/27 advocates are Chloe Mahony, James Kelly, Ella Shimmin, Rhys Collins and Nevaeh Hedges of Naomi Orr School of Dance, Lisburn.