Ensembles · Dance

Dance tours of Ireland and the UK

Perform on festival stages and in great parades, learn from local dancers, and leave the logistics to experienced performance tour planners.

Start planning your tour
Dancers performing for a cheering crowd, the kind of show a dance tour builds towards

What a dance tour with Upbeat looks like

A typical Upbeat dance tour runs for five to seven nights and visits two or three cities, with a performance in each. Dancers need more than a stage: a safe floor, space to warm up, somewhere to change and a schedule that leaves energy for the show. We plan those details carefully, and add workshops and exchanges with local dancers so your group learns as much as it performs.

5 to 7

nights

2 to 3

performances, from stages to streets

Workshops

with local dancers and musicians

From festival stages to city streets

Dance groups can perform anywhere from a festival stage or a parade route to a theatre or community hall. These are some of the settings we plan dance performances around.

Irish flags and green St Patrick's Day hats on a Dublin street, where dance groups can join the city's biggest parade

Dublin

The St Patrick's Day parade through the city centre

St Paul's Cathedral seen from the Millennium Bridge, a London backdrop for a dance tour of England

London

Stage and outdoor performances in the capital

Glasgow City Chambers on George Square, where dance groups can perform in the heart of the city

Glasgow

George Square and Loch Lomond Shores, for outdoor performances

Colourful village on the Irish coast, the kind of town where a visiting dance group fills the community hall

Towns and villages

Community halls and town squares, where local audiences turn out to watch

Couples dancing together at a lively social dance, the kind of evening where visiting dancers meet local dancers

Dance with local dancers

We pair dance groups with local dancers and musicians, so a performance becomes a real exchange. Your group might share a stage with an Irish dance school, dance to live traditional music, or join a céilí where everyone gets up on the floor. Off stage, there is time to talk, learn a few steps and make friends.

Your group could perform alongside

Irish dancers · Traditional musicians · Céilí bands

Workshops in Irish dance and more

Through our music and performance network, we can arrange workshops with experienced dance teachers and traditional musicians across Ireland and the UK.

Irish dancers in hard shoes on a wooden stage, as in an Irish step dance class on a dance tour

Learn Irish dance

Take a class in Irish step or céilí dancing with an experienced teacher, from the basics to a short routine you can perform.

Musicians playing traditional Irish music, the kind of live band that plays for a céilí

Dance to live music

Join a céilí with a live traditional band, where the music and the steps come together the way they have at Irish gatherings for generations.

Collage of Upbeat co-founders Keith Kelly and Gabby on their travels, at castles, historic sites, coastlines and concerts

Planned by performance tour experts

Upbeat's dance tours are planned by the Upbeat team, musicians who plan performances for groups visiting Ireland and the UK. We're not dance teachers, so we work with local dance professionals for workshops and exchanges. What we bring is knowing how to make a performance tour run smoothly, from the right stage and floor to a schedule that keeps your dancers at their best.

Meet the musicians behind Upbeat

Parades and festivals for dance groups

  • Performers alongside St Patrick at the St Patrick's Festival in Dublin, where dance groups can join the parade

    St Patrick's Festival, Dublin

    Ireland's national festival, with a parade every 17 March that welcomes performers from around the world.

Where dance groups tour

[Quote from a dance director, once they have agreed to it being used]

[Director name], [group name]

Dance tour questions

  • School, collegiate and community dance groups, from dance teams and studios to cultural dance companies. We match performances, workshops and partners to your style.

  • We look at each performance space for size, floor surface and access before we book it, and we'll tell you honestly if a venue isn't right for your routines. Where we can, we arrange time to mark through your show in the space.

  • Yes. Dance groups perform in the St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. Places are limited and groups apply in advance, so we'll help you plan early.

  • Bring your music in a format we agree in advance. Many venues have their own sound systems, and where they don't, we can arrange one.

  • Most are five to seven nights across two or three cities, with a performance in each and time for workshops and sightseeing in between.

Start planning your Upbeat tour today

Tell us about your group and where you'd like to perform. We'll shape the tour around your ensemble and handle the details, so you can focus on the music.

Start planning your tour