Meet Our AMAZING Staff
Our teaching staff is comprised of accomplished Irish Dancers and Certified Instructors who teach and coach focusing on each dancer’s personal growth and development. We provide inspiring instruction and encouragement to instill a love of Irish dance, create team players and coachable lifelong champions with the self-confidence to achieve their goals individually and as a team.
Katie Nugent Gerhard, TCRG
Owner & Director of Nugent Irish Dance
Katie has had a passion for Irish dance since she started at age 5. With grandparents that were born and raised in Ireland (Tuam and Fermoy), she was raised with Irish music always playing in the home, so it was no surprise that she rose to the Championship level of Irish dance competition.
Miss Sophia Schoch-Wyzgowski
Owner & Artistic Director of The Shannon Irish Dance Academy
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Sophia Schoch-Wyzgowski, TCRG, started dancing at age 12. Her first teacher was Heather McElligott Sparks, TCRG, who was the first to set the flame to her passion for Irish dance. When Heather moved to Pennsylvania, she started dancing under two-time World Champion and lead Riverdancer Michael Patrick Gallagher, ADCRG. She then transferred to the Celtic Dance Academy, where she taught and trained under Sarah Allison Houghtelin, TCRG. Sarah and Sophia remain friends to this day. In 2011, Sarah and Riverdancer Darren Maguire, ADCRG, decided to merge schools under the Maguire Academy of Irish Dance. Sophia taught and trained under them until 2012. In 2012, she moved to Michigan with her husband. She danced with the Goggin-Carroll School of Irish Dance until injury forced her into early retirement from competition.
Miss Mary Kate Hastings
Teacher for Jump’n Jig, Performance Company, & Youth Programs
Mary Kate Hastings, TCRG, has been dancing since age 4. She started with ballet and tap and immediately fell in love with dance. She continued receiving strict Russian Classical Ballet instruction under Nicole Jones until her first Irish dance class at 9. She had found her passion and never looked back. She quickly progressed in her technique and performance when taking instruction under Sophia Schoch-Wyzgowski, TCRG, in 2012.
Miss Hannah Snook
Teacher for Jump’n Jig, Performance Company, & Youth Programs
Hannah started dancing ballet at the age of 5. In 2019, she fell in love with Irish dance and progressed under the instruction and guidance of Sophia Schoch-Wyzgowski, TCRG.
Hannah competes internationally as an Adult Champion and as part of a Ceili team, has performed in various roles in An Irish Nutcracker, and performs with the Shannon Irish Dance Company.
Miss Hillary Snook
Associate Artistic Director of “An Irish Nutcracker”, Teacher for Jump’n Jig, Performance Company, & Youth Programs
Miss Hillary took her first Irish dance class at 9 years old. She quickly fell in love and has been dancing ever since. Under the instruction and guidance of Sophia Schoch-Wyzgowski, TCRG, she obtained confidence, leadership, and performance skills.
Hillary competes internationally as a Championship level Irish dancer and as part of a Ceili team, has performed in many lead roles for An Irish Nutcracker, and performs with the Shannon Irish Dance Company.
Kathleen Clinton, Nee McCauley
Teacher for Adult Programs
Kathleen started her dance career at the age of 2 with a classical French ballet company in Toledo, Ohio. Her family moved to Michigan in 1965 which is when she started dancing for the Borgo Sisters in Royal Oak. She took her first Irish Dance lesson at the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in Detroit with the Breda McGowan School of Dance.
She competed for 11 years in solo, ceili, and figures. in 1974 she competed in her first World Championship in Dublin, Ireland, where her figure team medaled and earned best overseas dancers. She retired in 1980.
What does TCRG stand for?
A certified Irish dance teacher is known as a TCRG which is the abbreviation for the Gaelic Teagascóir Choimisiúin le Rinci Gaelacha. Most people, especially outside of Ireland, never learn how to properly pronounce that lovely Gaelic way of saying "certified Irish dance teacher", so saying "TCRG" is more common when referring to Irish dance teachers.
What does it mean to be a TCRG?
It means that the person has sat before a panel of examiners for their Irish dance teacher's exams and passed those exams showing their knowledge of and ability to execute and teach both traditional and more modern Irish dance steps. That person is then recognized as a certified Irish dance teacher by an international Irish dance governing body that organizes national and world competitions allowing the school’s pupils to participate.
Teacher Training Program
At Shannon, we offer the opportunity for our dancers to become fully certified instructors through our ‘Teacher Training Program’. We supply our dance instructors with the material and experiences needed to pass their Grade and TCRG Exams. We are proud to produce strong confident dancers and community leaders that will mentor and coach the next generation of Irish dancers.