Excellence in Dance since 1989.
A passion for teaching Dance.
The Goode School of Dance was established in 1989 by Rachel Goode. Our highly experienced team trains students from 3years old in Classical Ballet and Modern Theatre Jazz.Classes are held in a friendly atmosphere and encourage good posture, confidence, musicality, imagination, creativity and a love of Dance.
Our school is led by a group of passionate teachers whose mission is to give exceptional dance training in a nurturing and supportive environment. Dance is for everyone; whether it’s for a hobby, or to become a professional dancer we will encourage and support our students in every step.
A major highlight for our students is the biennial show that is held in the Helix Theatre in Dublin and Wexford Opera house.These shows exhibit the multiple genres of dance that the students have been taught during their courses: ballet, character, jazz, contemporary, neo classical.The school also arranges Examinations with the Royal Academy of Dance and we consistently receive excellent results.
Students are welcome in Transition year for work experience and can attain a module for their Gaisce Award.
We also run fun filled Summer Schools with International guest teachers through July And August every year. These events close with a final performance which showcases what the students have learnt.
We believe that dance education has benefits that last a lifetime. To mention a few: promotes physical fitness, creative expression, self-confidence, discipline, perseverance, dedication, goal setting, social skills, cultural awareness and lifelong friendships.
“I explained it when I danced it” - Margot Fonteyn
Meet Our Team
-
A.R.A.D., R.T.S, B.R.S.dipRachel's passion for dance began at The Vonnie Goulding School of Dance, she continued her vocational training with Cynthia O’Dunlaing. and furthered her training with Dublin City Ballet and danced in many of their productions. At age 15, she won an Irish Arts Council scholarship to train at the prestigious Ballet Rambert, one of the leading ballet schools in the UK. She then danced professionally in London before returning to Ireland to open her first school in Galway in 1989.
Rachel is a fully qualified teacher of the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD)and The Imperial Society Teachers of Dancing,(ISTD) and continues her learning through on going Continued Professional Development courses each year. Rachel continues her involvement with the RAD as a mentor for their teacher training program. Rachel is also a member of the Irish Ballet Teachers' Association (IBTA), and currently serving as the committee treasurer.
Rachel is delighted to be celebrating over 30 years of teaching, during this time she has overseen consistently excellent exam result and has produced over 15 amazing memorable productions to sell-out performances in national theatres such as The Helix and The Pavilion. Rachel is immensely proud of all her students past and present , she is continually inspired by seeing the benefits of dance, seeing them grow in confidence, nurture a love for dance and music, and form long lasting friendships..
-
BaBE, LRAD, ARAD, RTS
Philippa grew up in the Lake District where she began her training at a young age. She then moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dance, on the Ba (Hons) Ballet Education Program – on completion Philippa also received her Licentiate for the Royal Academy of Dance.
Philippa has worked in Perth, Western Australia, where she taught Ballet and Contemporary in both private and vocational dance schools. During her time in Australia, Philippa was part of the RAD Regional Advisory Panel of WA where she took on various artistic roles.
Philippa is also a qualified Pilates Instructor. Philippa started working with The Goode School of Dance in 2018.
-
Catherine began dancing at the age of 3 at The Goode School of Dance. Through assisting classes and achieving RAD examinations, she realised her passion for teaching dance.
Catherine moved to London to attend the Royal Academy of Dance where she studied on the BA(Hons) Ballet Education course. Alongside completing her degree, she also completed the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance.
After graduating, Catherine taught in private ballet schools across London. Since moving back to Dublin, Catherine is thrilled to be teaching at the Goode School of Dance and is looking forward to sharing her love of dance with the students.
-
Rachel Started dancing at the age of 4 with The Goode School Of Dance. She was a member of the Irish National Youth Ballet and attended The College Of Dance then furthered her training at Laine Theatre Arts Graduating with a National Diploma in professional Dance Trinity College London. Most recently Rachel has taken her certificate in ballet teaching studies in R.A.D under the mentoring of Rachel Goode. She is also qualified as a fitness barre instructor.
Rachel has travelled the world performing with P&O cruises. She has also performed in The Gaiety Theatre, Cork Opera House, The Helix, Croke Park, The Aviva stadium, 3Arena and The Mansion House along with TV and Film featuring in Penny dreadful, Ripper street, Love Hate, Little Women and Mrs. Browns boys D’movie.
Rachel is Delighted to be teaching and sharing her knowledge from the performing world with the students at The Goode School Of Dance as that is where her journey began and she will forever be grateful for the training she received from the school.
-
BA hons Dance, MA Contemporary Dance Performance.
Eimear is a dance artist from Ireland and works professionally as a dancer, teacher and choreographer working for the past 11 years in the dance industry.
She was chosen to dance the female role in the repertoire of ‘Coupled Reflections’ by the Artistic Directors of Dance Theatre of Ireland, Robert Connor and Loretta Yurick in 2016/17. This was part of the ‘Live Archive Project’ curated by Emma Meehan in which the company’s (DCDT) 30 years of work was celebrated, this toured nationally in Ireland.
Her most recent choreographic work ‘Renewal’ was performed both nationally and internationally in 2017/18 in both Ireland and the UK. She has also worked with choreographer Mihaela Griveva (Bulgaria) researching and training in Gaga influenced techniques and exercises while undertaking choreographic research labs with other professional dancers.
She is currently engaged with ‘Two Can Do’ by choreographer, Bianca Paige Smith (USA), performing the work across Ireland and the US. This year ‘Two Can Do’ had performances at Gibney, Broadway, NYC (January 2019) Green Space Queens NYC and Art House Productions in Jersey City (June 2019). She completed an Irish tour of the award winning duet- ‘Two Can Do’ where she performed at Nun’s Island Galway, D Light Studios Dublin, The Hunt Museum Limerick and St. Peter’s Cork, Cork (August 2019).
She is the Contemporary Dance Tutor and Dance Course Coordinator at Bray Institute of Further Education and was selected two years running to be part of the prestigious Pushkin Trust project founded by The Royal Duchess of Abercorn.
-
Rose began dancing aged three at The Goode School of Dance, completing Grade 8 and Advanced One RAD examinations. She performed in multiple productions, the highlight of which was dancing the role of Clara in ‘The Nutcracker’.
Rose was also a member of the Irish National Youth Ballet, performing in their production of ‘The Nutcracker’, and also producing a dance film at Shawbrook Residential in Longford where Rose spent many summers as a dance student. During her time with the company, Rose had the chance to work with choreographers such as Zoe-Ashe Browne, Dominic Harrison and Nathan Cornwell
In 2021, Rose received places on multiple vocational training programmes, including The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Central School of Ballet, before deciding to accept a place at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on the BA in Modern Ballet.
At RCS, Rose trained in classical ballet, contemporary and jazz dance. Performance highlights included soloist and corps de ballet roles in Balanchine’s Serenade and Christopher Hampson’s Roses. She worked with dancers and choreographers from Scottish Ballet, including Bethany Kingsley Garner, Madeline Squire and Daniel Davidson, and with contemporary dancers such as Jack Philp, Yasmina Patel and Min Li. Rose also collaborated with students from other disciplines in the conservatoire on projects that included the production of dance film, ‘The Tree of Molded Voices’.
On graduating for RCS in 2024, Rose joined Ballet Douro Companhia in Porto, Portugal. With the company Rose has performed in classical, neoclassical and contemporary works, and has toured throughout Portugal and Spain. She worked with choreographer Filipe Portugal on his piece Canto del Mattino, part of a triple bill that includes Paquita and Sílvia Boga’s contemporary work, Terra. In 2025 Rose made her debut in a variety of soloist roles in the company’s production of The Nutcracker.
Other performances have included two of Boga’s new contemporary works, Camilo – Vida e Obra, and O Amor das Pedras. Camilo – Vida e Obra, created to explore the life and works of famous Portuguese writer Camilo Castelo Branco; and dancing one of the sisters in As Três Irmãs, Castelo Branco’s exploration of the frustrations and struggles of women living in a patriarchal society.
Rose has an enduring passion for teaching dance, recognising the joy young dancers experience from furthering their craft. She has managed and taught on The Goode School of Dance Summer Stars courses for the last two years. She teaches online private lessons, and was a classroom assistant for Scottish Ballet’s Junior and Senior Associates during her time in Glasgow. Rose is also on her way to receiving her Pilates instructor qualification.
-
Niamh began dancing in Dublin with The Dunbar School of Dance & The Goode School of Dance. Following this, she was accepted into Tring Park School for the Performing Arts where she completed her professional training, graduating with Distinction in Trinity London’s Diploma in Professional Dance.
While in the U.K. Niamh was a member of Encore Dance Company and The National Youth Ballet of Great Britain. She performed multiple U.K. tours with the companies and performed at Sadler’s Wells & Royal Albert Hall.
Niamh joined Ballet Ireland in 2018 and since then has toured Ireland performing shows such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, & Minus 16. In addition to being a company member of Ballet Ireland Niamh has danced with Chrysalis London, WhyNot Dance Company and Merlin Productions. Niamh has also danced for TV advertisements and music videos. Niamh is a fully certified Stott Pilates instructor.
Niamh teaches alongside performing & began working with The Goode School of Dance in 2018. She is also involved in their annual Summer School. Niamh is also a teacher for the Ballet Boost Associates Programme in the U.K. & Northern Ireland.
-
MEd, MSc, Pg Dip., BA (Hons), RAD RTS, ISTD CDE.Emma began her dance training in London, is a graduate of Northern Ballet School and has taught in the UK and Europe. She is a fully qualified teacher in Ballet (RAD & ISTD), Modern Theatre Dance/ Jazz (ISTD) and a Pilates instructor. Emma holds a distinction MSc in Dance Science & Education from the University of Edinburgh and a MEd in Higher Education from Trinity College, Dublin. She also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology and a 1st class BA (Hons) in Dance Education.
Emma has taught in the private sector for over 25 years and in the Further Education (FE) sector for 17 years. She is a tutor at Bray Institute of Further Education (BIFE) and a Placement Tutor on the FE initial teacher education postgraduate degree at the National College of Ireland.
She is registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland to teach Dance, Social & Behavioural Sciences, and Education, and is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society and The Psychological Society of Ireland.
Emma has been working with Rachel and the wonderful students at the Goode School of Dance since 2006.