Between the Dance Team, Nazaare and the various other dance clubs that call N.C. State home, the University has a great deal of diversity when it comes to getting down on the dance floor. Now, with the addition of the Irish Dance Club, there’s a new way to move to the music on campus.

The Irish Dance Club, also known as Dancers of Eire, has recently been given official club status. The club’s founders hope to find an audience with students and offer them the chance to show off their Irish dance moves.

Caroline Kelly, a sophomore in elementary education and one of the club’s founders, said that the club was started out of a desire to bring Irish dancers together on campus.

“There wasn’t an outlet for Irish dancers,” Kelly said. “I saw Indian and tap and jazz.”

Kelly has been dancing for 12 years and said she stayed in the area for college in order to remain at her dance school. With the Irish Dance Club, Kelly and the other founders hope to find a new outlet for their skills.

For Kelly, what makes Irish dance such a worthwhile activity is the strong sense of community it can lead to.

“I’m still friends with my dance friends in college, more so than my high school friends,” Kelly said. “You never lose those friends – they grow with you.”

Another major aspect of Irish dance, according to Kelly, is the large focus on competition, with an official event known as a feis. Dancers either perform in teams, where group members dance in different figures, or solo. Solo performances are based around two soft shoe dances and two hard shoe dances, with dancers given the chance to select the styles they are most confident with.

“It’s very competitive,” Kelly said. “There are different dance schools all around the world. There are world championships, usually held in Ireland or Scotland. In 2013, they’re going to be in Boston.”

Though all the founding members of the club have competitive experience, the group is still trying to figure out whether their focus will be on training for competition or just on having fun. The five founders all come from different schools around the country, which has given them a chance to just compare and contrast their different methods.

Once the club gets going, the group hopes to reach out to the N.C. State community and become more involved.

“We are looking to try and do different shows,” Kelly said. “Other dance clubs have had shows and we think it would be cool to meet up with clubs of different styles. We’d also like to do charity events.”

Though the group is still working out some of the finer details, they’ve already had some success in generating interest. However, at least for now, Kelly said that they are mainly looking for members with previous experience to join.

“For the first year, we would like it to be solely people with previous experience in [Irish dance], and a pretty solid amount,” Kelly said. “But within the next year or so, we’d like to open it up and start teaching.”

For now, anyone who knows the difference between a jig and a reel is welcome to get in contact with the group and find out more. The club can be reached at thedancersofeire@gmail.com.