Our Mission & Values
Through instruction methods rooted in the pursuit of excellence, KYNE IRISH DANCE CO. aims to inspire dancers, as both artists and athletes, to push themselves to greater heights while celebrating the global community and traditional art form of Irish dancing.
We are a boutique program with small class sizes, and we encourage students to learn and grow through participation in local, national, and international competitions. We believe in the value of fair, honest competition, and know that students can materially improve as dancers and as whole people through engagement with the wider global community of dance. However, competing is not a requirement for any student, and classes may be taken purely recreationally.
KYNE IRISH DANCE CO. prides itself on fostering an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive environment for all, regardless of individual skill levels or competitive goals. Our mission is to celebrate Irish dancing and the many valuable life lessons and experiences it brings, through the pursuit of excellence both in the studio and onstage.
INCLUSIVITY
Excellence
RESILIENCE
COLLABORATION
TEAMWORK
TRADITION
About The Company
KYNE IRISH DANCE CO. was established in 2026 to offer world-class Irish dance instruction for dancers of all ages and levels in the Portland, Oregon metro area. With a focus on technique, musicality, and collaboration, we are a boutique company. Class sizes are small, and instruction is personalized to help every dancer succeed.
We aim to teach not just steps, but also valuable life skills, from self-confidence, resilience, and discipline, to the value of contributing with an open heart to your team and community.
Every dance class at KIDC starts with the basics, emphasizing the importance of proper technique for dancer safety, and sharing the traditional movements at the heart of Irish dancing. We regularly consult physical therapists and other professionals cross-trained in multiple dance styles to ensure our students are taught with industry best practices, and we focus on attention to detail in our warm-ups, drills, and cool-down routines, so everyone from brand-new beginners to champions can take responsibility for their own improvement and success. At KIDC, we think even the most basic movements are fun when you're taught to do them right -- and satisfaction comes from seeing yourself improve every time!
Interested in joining the company? Try it out with a 10-week KIDC New Beginner Session package, or inquire about more advanced class options via email at info@kyneirishdance.com. We offer classes for all ages in Portland and Sherwood, Oregon.
MEET OUR team
owner & director
NORA FOGARTY, T.C.R.G.
she/her
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Nora Fogarty stepped into her first Irish dance class at the age of 8 and instantly fell in love with the athleticism and musicality of the traditional art form. A natural dancer, she took to the movements immediately and from her first ever competitive outing, she won through the levels from new beginner to open championship in under 18 months.
During her 21-year competitive career, she trained with the longtime Pacific Northwest-based Murray and Comerford schools before finishing her competitive years with the Brimhall Academy. She had the privilege of learning something unique and valuable from each of her many teachers over those two decades, including Geraldine Murray, TCRG; Tony Comerford, ADCRG; Kelly Nagan-Ellis, TCRG; and Kinsey Brimhall, TCRG; as well as former workshop teachers and choreographers Siobhan O'Donoghue, TCRG; Damien Noone, TCRG; and Yzanne Cloonan Noone, ADCRG.
Between 2003 and 2023, Nora individually qualified to compete at the World Irish Dancing Championships 14 times and won an overall World Championship recall medal, ranking her in the top 50 dancers of her age worldwide, before she turned 15. She also enjoyed several “top 10” placements in the US, Canada, and the UK during her career, including 10th at the All-Scotland Championships and top 5 podium finishes at both the North American Championships and the Western US Region Oireachtas.
Concluding her competitive years was bittersweet, but the decision allowed Nora to study for and earn her TCRG certification with An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG), the oldest and largest international governing body in Irish dance. After several years spent honing her coaching and teaching skills, she became officially certified to pass on Irish dance tradition in 2025 and made the leap to open KYNE IRISH DANCE CO. just a few short months later.
Her passion lies in the rhythms and musicality of traditional Irish music and dance, and in encouraging dancers of all ages to improve and grow as they master challenging material.
Nora lives in SE Portland with her spouse, their rescue dog and several houseplants. Outside of teaching Irish dance, she is proud to work as a development and communications professional in the nonprofit sphere, raising money and sharing impact stories for the greater good.
Competitive Highlights
World Championships
14x Individual Qualifier
Overall Recall Medalist
North American Championships
5th Place podium finish
2x Top 10 finisher
Other Major Championships
10th Place, All-Scotland Championships
2x overall recall medalist, All-Ireland Championships
4x recall round medalist, All-Ireland Championships
Western US Oireachtas (Regional Championships)
2x 3rd Place podium finish
3x Top 5 podium finisher
8x Top 10 finisher
about our name
“I was named after Nora Kyne, my great-great-grandmother.
A first-generation American, she went on to become a teacher and then the first female superintendent of schools in California. Many years after her parents left County Galway, Ireland to come to the West Coast, Nora Kyne's descendants, my mother and my gram, conspired to enroll me in my very first Irish dance class.
“When it came time to name my own dance school, it felt right to honor the generations of strong Irish-American women in my family, who’ve supported me endlessly and made me who I am, and to carry on the naming tradition - from one Nora to another!”
Nora Fogarty
Owner & Director, KYNE IRISH DANCE CO.