We had a great first year here! We are looking forward to many more Colleen. My daughter has learned so much and truly enjoys it here. What a lovely group of people!
Tara Crowe
My daughter's friend told her how much fun she was having at Irish Dance and invited my daughter join in the fun. Miss Colleen gave us her business card, and we started dancing. My daughter is having a blast learning new steps and loves to show us what she has learned. Miss Colleen is well organized, professional, and an expert instructor. We are so glad our friends recommended Colleen to us.
Barbara Reynolds
I feel so blessed that we were in the right place at the right time when we met Mrs. Murphy and Miss Coleen. This wonderful group has changed my daughters life. She has become more confident, has made great friends, and most importantly found her passion. She didn't start dancing until she was 10 1/2 years old, and has come so far in a short time. I recommend this amazing school to everyone I meet.
Felicia Kearns
We are so lucky we found Miss Colleen and Mrs. Murphy when we did. Our former dance school had closed 2 years ago, and we looked into a couple of schools and could not find the right fit. Luckily, a friend of a friend referred us to Mrs. Murphy and Miss Colleen, and after her first lesson, my daughter said the school 'felt like home.' It has been such a pleasure to watch my daughter progress this past year! She has found such a wonderful place to learn and grow - she absolutely loves Miss Colleen and her fellow dancers! I now have my little one dancing at D'Arcy and she looks forward to class every week :)
Jennifer Wall
This is a great Irish Dance School! My daughter enjoys dancing and has gained so much confidence in herself through the years working with Patrica Murphy and now Colleen Nicosia! Hoping for many more great years together!
Eileen Mamudoski
My nieces started Irish dancing roughly 20 years ago with the Patricia Murphy School. It made such an impact on our family's life that it was only fitting that our daughter Delaney continue the tradition. Now with Mrs. Murphy retiring and Colleen Nicosia taking over as the D'Arcy School we couldn't be happier. I have had the pleasure of knowing Colleen and her sisters for 15 years. Colleen is the epitome of hard work, dedication and caring. She brings so much more to these kids lives than just dance. She is a mentor, a teacher, a coach and always makes you feel like family. I could go on and on about her ability as an Irish dance teacher but the proof is in all of the awards her students continue to recieve. If you're looking for something a little more than just dance lessons The D'Arcy School is the place to be.
Moira Scholl
Whether dancing is a hobby for you or a competitive sport Ms Colleen will be happy to teach you. She has brought my daughter from a beginner to a champion dancer when my daughter was ready for it. She has a way with the kids that they just want to keep coming back to class and learning. I have loved to see the girls and the school grow to what it has become today. This has been a fantastic fit for our family. Can't wait to continue on this journey with the D'Arcy School.
Tara Fitzpatrick
Can't say enough good things about this school. Low pressure, lots of fun for the little ones just starting out, but with more options when my daughter got more serious. She's been dancing since she was 4 and loves loves loves it. We love Miss Colleen!! So happy we found this school.
Sara Schivell
I came to the Patricia Murphy School of Irish Dance in 2007 when my son was 15. Yes....you read that correctly - 15. After discovering "Lord of the Dance" when he was 4, he had finally found an Irish dance school in our Ocean County area that was willing to take on a beginning student of his not so typical age and made him feel welcome. Prior to coming to the Murphy school, another school in the area dismissed his interest, said he was too old and "maybe they could put him in the half hour adult class once a week". The Murphy school embraced him. A year after he started, my daughter, then 8, also became a student. In our nearly 10 years with this school I have watched my children remain encouraged as they stumbled over their first steps and have watched them soar as they've continued to move up through the levels with the motivation and inspiration of their teachers.
For someone to be a true teacher, they are blessed with a rare and natural gift. Anyone can recite instructions to another person. It takes someone truly gifted to take a student who is insecure or frustrated while learning new, challenging steps and make the experience fun while increasing the self-confidence of the dancer. In the end, they always get those steps right and feel so proud and accomplished when they do. Why? Because of the positive encouraging effect of their teacher. There is nothing better than the glowing face of a student who has overcome and mastered a challenge. This is something we witness regularly.
In addition to the guidance of their teacher, the "Murphy" (now "D'Arcy") family is just that......a family. We are NOT Dance Moms. We strive to encourage, support and applaud each other's children and their achievements. As moms, dads, siblings, etc., we do the same for each other. We all gladly take part in assisting in our school's fund raisers, Feis and other annual events for the love of our school and our extended dance family. Older students help younger students and all ages gladly work together and "play" together. When at a competition, the team spirit of our dancers for each other is unmatched.
Whether Irish or not, the students and the families enjoy learning the history of the dances and the traditions that accompany those dances and the Irish in general. We experience the joy every St. Patrick's Day season when our "senior" dancers perform at parties and other Irish social events for enthusiastic crowds who clap along and are always impressed by our dancers.
The Murphy school has now become "The D'Arcy School of Irish Dance". The name may be different, but the legacy and all that I described continues. Miss Colleen, having been a student of Mrs. Murphy's and a contributor to the Murphy school's success in later years, is part of a legacy...a legacy that loves Irish dance, loves teaching students to become Irish dancers and teaching students to tackle a challenge with equal parts fun and sweat to push themselves to be their best. These are not just dance skills......these are LIFE skills.
Oh, and that 15 year old boy? Aside from still attending and helping at class, he is an Open Champion dancer, qualified for Worlds twice and is also a professional Irish dancer, having toured with the show "Rhythm in the Night" in Spring, 2016. Only a rare and remarkable school could have recognized his potential and nurtured his ability to achieve such goals.
Wendy Kelly-Sheridan (Proud D’Arcy Mom of 2 dancers)
Becoming an Irish dancer has been so wonderful for my daughter! It has truly become her passion! We are so happy to be a part of such a wonderful dance school with such a wonderful teacher, Colleen Nicosia, and so many great dance families!!
Erika Loboda
My 3 daughters danced for many, many years with Patricia Murphy. I feel that dancing with Patricia has helped mold them into the successful young women they are today! Colleen has now taken it a step further and made dancing her career! She learned so much from Patricia and is now incorporating that into her lessons. The most important thing she learned is to be compassionate toward all children. I know anyone who goes to this school will find the passion and love of the dance and will feel part of a big family. I am proud of all Colleen has achieved and so grateful that she learned from the best!
Pauline Nicosia