Welcome to Rose & Sword Academy of Irish Dance, the home of Irish dancing at its finest! We believe that Irish dancing should be fun while reflecting the richness of our Irish heritage.

Rose & Sword is a member of the World Irish Dance Association (WIDA) and our dancers proudly compete in WIDA Irish dance competitions. See the list of our instructors below.

Kathy Nelson is the owner, director, and primary instructor at Rose & Sword Academy and is a WIDA-certified judge (ADCRG) and professional Irish dance teacher. She passes on her extensive experience as a performer and dance choreographer to the students of the school. Kathy was a champion dancer in her competitive career and has been teaching Irish dance for 29 years.  She has created numerous first place award winning talent show dances for dancers competing in area pageants and her choreography has won accolades in both the competitive and performance arenas.  She is also very experienced in health and fitness and incorporates exercises in each class. Kathy loves working with all of her students, but has a special passion for working with adult dancers and homeschool families. She is a former homeschool Mom of two sons. Kathy is an Army veteran who proudly served her country from 1972-1974.

Kathryn Downing started Irish dancing as a child, returning as an adult after her graduate school’s ceilidh dances reminded her just how much she loves the art. She is currently working through WIDA’s teaching grade exams while competing at the Open level. Kathryn enjoys sharing Irish dance with others through the many opportunities to perform-from local festivals to the professional stage at Busch Gardens. She has a particular fondness for ceili dancing and is especially grateful for the community of students that make up Rose & Sword.

Josephine Petras is a longtime dancer. She started Irish Dancing when she was 6 years-old. Having danced for both Irish Dance organizations- WIDA and CLRG- she has experience from two sides in the world of Irish Dance. A senior at Granby High School in Norfolk, VA, she commutes to Williamsburg to assist teaching Rose & Sword classes. A former competitor and current performer, she is knowledgeable in both aspects. She enjoys performing with Rose & Sword regularly but specifically at Williamsburg’s 2nd Sunday Festivals and Busch Gardens St. Patrick’s Day Celebration. She is an experienced choreographer and has created several performance pieces for the school. She has completed five of the WIDA grade exams so far and is looking forward to doing all of them to reach her TCRG certification.

Cara Boyle has been a dancer and a student of Kathy for fourteen years. She is attending Shenandoah University and enjoys learning new things through teaching dance. She competed for many years, reaching the championship level, and has also completed three of the WIDA grade exams. Cara now enjoys performing, choreographing, and teaching her love for Irish Dance. She has attended many workshops and camps, including three summers of Riverdance Summer School, where she learned the choreography from the world famous show “Riverdance”. She is excited to share what she has learned and inspire the next generation of Rose & Sword dancers.

Kate Fogash has been Irish Dancing for as long as she can remember. She competed with CLRG before joining WIDA. She is looking forward to taking WIDA’s teaching grade exams. What she values most about Irish Dance is its sense of community. From making friendships at classes with her fellow dancers to sharing her passion for Irish Dance with her community at Rose and Sword’s many performances, she enjoys watching how the joy of dance brings people together.

Penny Polonsky began dancing at Rose and Sword at age 7 and began competing in 2019. She is currently dancing at Preliminary Championship level. She enjoys competing in both live and virtual competitions, having placed 1st in several international competitions. She enjoys helping younger students discover their love of Irish Dance.

Frances Gordon has been dancing with Rose and Sword Academy since she was 10 years old. She has loved dancing since her very first class! She has particularly enjoyed Ceili dancing as well as all of the opportunities to perform in and around the Williamsburg area. Frances is also discovering a new love for teaching Irish Step Dancing! Frances is homeschooled along with her three brothers.