Dancer and Choreographer
Dancer Edwina Guckian hails from outside the village of Drumsna in Co. Leitrim. She learned her dancing from her mother and the local dancers of Leitrim and Roscommon. Her style is greatly influenced by the style of local music she grew up listening and dancing to. Her grandfather, Ned Lee, from Easter Snow, Co. Roscommon taught her to play the fiddle and brought her to many a session, Ceilí and rambling house across the county in her youth.
Having started teaching dancing at the age of 16, Edwina has now taught her steps and toured with shows and bands in every continent all over the world. She has shared the stage with some of Ireland’s most influential acts such as Altan, De Danann, Dervish, Mairtín O’ Connor, Frankie Gavin, Kíla, Martin Hayes, Séamus Begley, We Banjo 3 and Beoga to name a few.
In 2004 Edwina established her dance club Áirc Damhsa which now has over 400 members, 11 teachers and is based in 9 counties.In 2015 she left her full – time primary school teaching career to focus on her personal development in dance. Since then, she has been awarded Leitrim County Council arts person of the year, art’s councils next generation award and business person of the year by the Irish enterprise board which led to her setting up www.irishdancecourses.com, an online learning hub for dancers worldwide with courses in all styles of Irish dance with the modern-day dance masters of Ireland.
