Ardmore Academy of Irish Dance, Rutherford

Girls garbed in colorful dresses festooned with Celtic knots leap into the air and then land softly on the stage. Their feet whip into a mad blur, but their stick-straight arms never leave their sides. They look like marionette dolls whose arm strings have broken off, but their movements are precise and choreographed. This is Irish dance, and its unique steps are taught to beginner, intermediate, and championship dancers aged 3 or older at Ardmore Academy of Irish Dance.

Students here learn everything from basic footwork to advanced leaps, as well as how to keep their arms rigidly at their sides without resorting to a plaster upper-body cast. As they progress, dancers graduate from soft shoes to hard shoes.