Kids' cultural dance classes on Long Island: Learn West African, Irish, Hispanic dance

Maybelle Valenti, 9, of Sayville says she likes taking Irish dance classes because she likes the sparkly dresses she gets to wear. But her mother, Juliette, 41, a teacher, likes that her daughter is following in her cultural footsteps — or rather, dance steps. 

“I was actually a championship dancer when I was young, so I wanted to continue that tradition,” the elder Valenti says. Valenti's other daughter, Millie, 11, also take classes at the Mulvihill-Lynch School of Irish Dance, and the girls have traveled to Ireland, Canada and across the United States for events. "I like the competition," Millie says.

Long Island parents often enroll their children in ethnic dance classes to connect them to their ancestral roots. Seva Kantu, 16, of Manhasset says she’s “really glad” her mom put her in Indian dance classes at 4 years old. “It really opened me up to my Indian culture,” the high school junior says of the instruction she takes at Nartan Rang Dance Academy in Hicksville and New Hyde Park.

Cultural dance classes abound on Long Island — Indian, Irish, Hispanic, Korean, West African and more. Children don’t have to be part of the culture to enroll.

Here are five  options to consider:

Traditional Irish dance

The 45-minute weekly classes at the Mulvihill-Lynch School of Irish Dance focus on traditional Irish dances. Sessions include a 10-week fall session, a 10-week winter session that culminates in an optional winter recital in February, a 13-week spring session that ends with an optional in-house competition with judging, feedback and prizes, and a four-week summer session. The school has been in operation for 27 years and has its own building in Lake Ronkonkoma. Classes also are offered out of a dance center in East Islip, and the school would add classes in Center Moriches if there were enough interest, says owner and director Debbie Lynch. Cost starts at $150 for the 10-week beginner classes. Dancers must be at least 4 years old. 709 Hawkins Ave., Lake Ronkonkoma; Lori’s Dance Center, 126 E. Main St., East Islip; 631-738-1242, mlsirishdance.com.

Indian Bollywood dance

Classes at the Nartan Rang Dance Academy start with basic Classical Indian dance steps and lessons on how dancers move their hands and heads, and then they move on to Bollywood musical choreography, says co-owner Swati Vaishnav, who runs the school with her daughter, Siddhi. Narton Rang means colorful dancing, Swati Vaishnav says. “We do songs from Bollywood movies to keep the kids interested,” she says. For instance, they might dance to the popular song “Jhumka,” which means earring, she says. Hourlong weekly classes are grouped by age, from ages 6 to 18, and cost $100 per month and a $25 annual registration fee. Dancers commit to continue through to the recital each June at Adelphi University; the recital requires a $125 fee that covers costumes, jewelry and hair and makeup, Vaishnav says. “It’s a group dance, if you drop out that creates issues for the other kids,” she says. Classes meet at Christ Lutheran Church, 300 Hillside Dr. South in New Hyde Park and the United Methodist Church, 130 West Old Country Rd., Hicksville; 516-395-1209, nartanrang.com. Also try: Diversity School of Dance for Bollywood and Bhangra folk dancing, 335A Terry Rd., Smithtown; 631-433-7838, diversityschoolofdance.com.

Hispanic cultural dance

Children are introduced to salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia and flamenco during classes at El Teatro Rodante Hispanico, which translates to traveling Hispanic theater, says director Noemi Echevarria Robinson. Dance classes are split into four age groups — 4 to 6, 7 to 9, 10 to 12 and teenagers. “The kids who are born here, they don’t have the background about the culture,” Robinson says of why parents enroll their children to learn tropical dances. Enrollment requires a $25 registration fee and monthly tuition of between $25 and $95 depending on the number of classes per week students take. The dance year ends with a recital in early July, which involves an additional fee for tickets to the performance, Robinson says. Classes are held at the Brentwood Recreation Center, 99 Third Ave. (September may be held at an alternate Islip or Central Islip location while the Brentwood Recreation Center is under construction, Robinson says). 516-729-3740. Also try: Diversity School of Dance for folkloric Puerto Rican plena dance, cumbia, salsa, bachata and merengue, 335A Terry Rd., Smithtown; 631-433-7838, diversityschoolofdance.com.

Korean folk dance

Classes at the Korean Traditional Music and Dance Center in Farmingdale and Great Neck focus on “dances from a long time ago in Korea,” says president Yusun Kang. “We don’t do K-pop or modern dance.” Most students are second-generation Korean, she says. Dancers must be at least 6 years old. A one-time $100 registration fee includes dance shoes and skirt for girls and dance shoes and T-shirt for boys. A $180 per month tuition fee covers weekly one-hour classes. An optional recital happens at the end of the academic year. 2 Maplewood Ave., Farmingdale, 477 Great Neck Rd., Great Neck; 917-536-8188, ktmdc.com.

West African dance

This class at Layla's Dance & Drum in Valley Stream covers dances from Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Nigeria, says owner Anayo Michel. Dances include moving to the beat of the djembe drum, and dundun dance, which combines stick drumming and dance. "A lot of American children and teens don't know a lot about West Africa," Michel says. "We try to use dance to reconnect them with their cultural heritage." Classes start at 2 1/2 years old and are grouped by age, Michel says. The cost is $65 a month for weekly class that culminate in an end-of-the-year recital. Students buy their costumes and sell a designated number of tickets to the performance, usually between five and seven per student, Michel says. The studio also offers contemporary Afrobeats and African club dances from West, Central and Southern Africa. a27 E. Merrick Rd. 2nd floor, Valley Stream; 516-295-1867.

By Beth Whitehouse

beth.whitehouse@newsday.comBethWhitehouse1

Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.