Hudson Irish Dance Academy

Our son not only went to Nationals for his talent, but he qualified for WORLDs in Scotland next year. Thank you Hudson Irish Dance for supporting him, and guiding him towards the top box!
Aug 28th, 2023

Our daughter found Hudson Irish Dance Academy about a year ago and Corey and Paige have been nothing but fantastic! They welcomed our dancer (with no previous dance experience) into the group with open arms and have been the best thing in the world for her. They have helped her see the benefit of hard work and determination and provided her a safe space to participate in a fantastic activity, be a part of a great team (dancers and families alike) and be a kid. Hudson has helped our daughter achieve her goal of getting to Oireachtas in her first year of competitive Irish dance (Novice to Prelim. Champ!) through the tireless support of their students, wonderful instruction, and love of Irish Dance! We are so happy to have found and be a part of the Hudson Irish Dance family!!!
Feb 1st, 2023

My son has been dancing with Hudson since January 2019 and he absolutely loves it. Corey and Paige go above and beyond to make this the most welcoming, low-pressure studio possible. Their love of Irish dance is contagious, and my son looks forward to every single class, performance and competition. Corey and Paige do their utmost to accommodate every dancer and dancer's family's schedule and circumstances, and there is never pressure to compete or preform if it doesn't work for the dancer at that time. We always feel supported and welcomed, no matter what. In sum, we could not be happier at this studio!!!
Jan 28th, 2023

DO NOT JOIN THIS STUDIO! My daughter began Irish Dance at 7 and SHE LOVED IT! We transferred to Hudson Irish Dance from another studio because of convenience. Which was a HUGE mistake. My daughter and I were made several promises and she was always disappointed by the teachers. She did soft and hard shoe at the previous studio she danced at for almost 2 years. They would only let her compete in soft shoe in the beginner 1 category for kids that danced under 12 months even though she had danced for well over a year already. When she started competing it felt like they were more focused on medals vs her development. There was MANY classes that she would do over 2-3s the entire class because Corey would frequently combined classes with the kids who were beginners causing more delay in her progress, she spent MONTHS doing almost nothing! I was told that she could start hard shoe (when she changed studios) but when I brought it up, I was told that she had to learn her new steps in all of her dances in soft shoe for a year before she could start hard shoe. We were his 3rd family to join his studio with grand promises that never happened. We tried private lessons with Paige the assistant teacher who is not certified to teach. She did not make the PC level as they claim on their website. She ended the hour-long private lesson 18 minutes into the session with an excuse that "she is tired" which was not true and only made a busy, rushed mom BEYOND frustrated that I didn't get what I paid for and that my daughter was manipulated, and I was lied to! PLEASE NOTE: the teachers gossip about parents; the parents gossip about the dancers and other parents. This was a HUGE turn off! There was no professionalism. My daughter decided to quit Irish Dance, something that she once LOVED, because of her experience here. There are A LOT of other studios around. I recommend checking all of them out before deciding. Go in with your eyes wide open!!!
Dec 21st, 2022

My daughter started Irish Dance a little over one year ago and we are so happy that we landed at Hudson Irish Dance Academy. We live in SW Minneapolis and I didn't want to go to St. Paul for lessons. I did contact another studio about class schedules and when she could start. That studio replied to my email and said a new schedule would come out soon and then I never heard back from them again. HIDA was the next studio I reached out to and Corey responded right away and told me to come for a free class. I was new to Irish Dance - it is very different from the tap/ballet/jazz that I grew up with. Irish Dance has no beginning or end to the season, and no big end of year performance, so you can start at anytime and any age. Fast forward a year and my daughter has loved her experience and so have I! Both teachers (Corey and Paige) are very hands on and are great with little kids and teens. They work really well as a team and make learning all of the funny traditions and rules of Irish Dancing and competitions very accessible. I was skeptical about the competition thing at first (my daughter was 7 when she started) but she loved the competition and I think it has been great for her confidence and social development. And while I did not seek out a "competition studio" I feel like we are in very good hands. I think both Corey and Paige are incredibly talented and have a special ability to push their dancers to work hard without being mean or making dancers feel bad - it is a very positive environment. This is truly a passion for Corey and Paige and it shows. They care deeply about their students and are always willing to make extra class time available if that is what you and your dancer want/need. And as an extra bonus the HIDA families are all super fun and nice! I give HIDA an A++
Oct 27th, 2022