Enroll Today with Thorne Academy!
open enrollment all year in Irish Dance!
Classes offered in Danbury, New Milford & Bantam Connecticut
open enrollment all year in Irish Dance!
Classes offered in Danbury, New Milford & Bantam Connecticut
About Us
The Thorne Academy
The Thorne Sisters are excited to bring their unique method of teaching to New Milford and Bantam areas. The academy has been a dream of the sisters ever since they started dancing. Together, their goal is to nurture students and make lessons fun and exciting while keeping the tradition of Irish Step Dancing alive and thriving. You can go to other step dancing schools in the area and pay twice as much, but it is important to the sisters that their lessons fun and affordable. They want to build confidence and enrich the lives of students while offering a supportive place for them to learn.
Teachers with Experience
Catie Thorne Friel has been taking Irish step dancing class since she was 5 years old growing up in Danbury, Connecticut. For 10 years Catie danced in the biggest event in the region, the New England Oireachtas which is the qualifying event for the World Irish Dance Championships. Catie consistently placed in the top 10 in her age group for an entire decade, and qualified for the World Irish Dance Championships six times.
In 2011 Catie sat for a rigorous 3-day exam to become a certified Irish Step Dancing teacher, and became Catie Friel TCRG. The Thorne Academy is registered with Comhdháil na Múinteoirí le Rincí Gaelacha , an international Irish dance organization. The school is affiliated with an American Branch of An Comhdháil called the USA Irish Dance Alliance. Together friendships and tradition are shared across the United States.
Hali Thorne began dancing at age 4 in Danbury, CT. From there her love for dance only grew. By the age of 12, Hali won the New England Oireachtas and qualified for the World Irish Dance Championships. In her 19 years of dancing she has placed top 5 in North America five times, achieved sixth place in the All Ireland Championships, and was awarded 9th place in the entire World. Hali is the 8-time New England Irish Dance Champion and Senior Ladies Champion upon her retirement in 2016. She hopes to inspire dancers to follow their dreams and achieve their goals.