Maureen Berry, BFA, TCRG is the Owner/Director of Teelin School of Irish Dance and Director of Teelin Irish Dance Company. She was awarded her TCRG teaching certification by An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha (the Irish Dancing Commission, in Dublin, Ireland) in 2001, and has been an active member of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA) since that time.
In 2009, Maureen was the top recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) Individual Artist Award for Dance Choreography, and she then received the Howie Award for Outstanding Artist in 2015.
Maureen’s extensive dance training ranges from modern, ballet, salsa, tap & jazz to traditional Appalachian clogging and Irish step dance. She grew up in New Jersey within the highly competitive world of Irish step dancing, became a champion Irish dancer at a young age, and competed at the World Championships in Ireland.
Also musically inclined, Maureen learned button accordion from her late father, Michael Berry, and competed in the All Ireland championships for Irish music. (Maureen is currently on a mission to make the accordion a “cool” instrument!)
At the age of 16, Maureen began studying Ballet, Jazz, Tap & Modern dance at a Performing Arts High School, and then went on to receive her B.F.A. degree in Dance Performance from Towson University. Maureen joined Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble as a full time performer in June 1997 and toured all over the world. In 2017, she toured with Brian O’Donovan’s A Celtic Sojourn. In 2019, she performed with the Teelin Irish Dance Company at Jacob’s Pillow.
In 2007, Maureen choreographed and performed in a John Paul Jones music video for the music group Uncle Earl. The video has won multiple awards from Country Music Television (CMT).
In 2014, Maureen received her 200 hour teacher training certification from Sid Yoga, a Baron Baptiste affiliate. She is also a certified Paddlefit instructor.
Maureen is currently focusing her energy on teaching and directing. She has taught a World champion, NAFC Belt winner, Great Britains winner and All-Scotlands winner. Highlights of her career include producing, choreographing and starring in the highly successful original productions of feature-length stage shows: Portraits of Ireland (2006-2011), StepDance (2012-2013), Sláinte (2014), and Celtic Storm (2016-2019).