Patricia Rose, TCRG
Mary Ann Gergurich, TCRG
Sarah Smudz, TCRG

Patricia began dancing with the Kelly School of Irish Dance in Los Angeles at the age of five.  She competed for the next 13 years throughout the Western US Region, including the Regional Oireachtas.  After placing in the Western US Regional Oireachtas in 1985, Patricia danced in the World Championships in Limerick, Ireland.  She continued to place in the Oireachtas and qualify for the World Championships for the next four years, and in 1989, at the age of 14, became the Western US Regional Champion. 

In addition to competing, Patricia has performed throughout Southern California at all types of events ranging from private parties and weddings to the Nations of San Diego and The Field Irish Pub and Restaurant in downtown San Diego.

Mary Ann began dancing with the Maureen Bakke School of Irish Dance at the age of four.  At the age of eight, she transferred to the Donny Golden School in Brooklyn, New York.  She competed at a regional and national level, placing as high as 4th.  She also competed with numerous Ceili teams and won regional titles.  She was awarded the 13th place medal at the 1995 World Championships in Galway, Ireland.  She traveled with Lord of the Dance from 1997-2003 and performed in Feet of Flames in Hyde Park in 1998, as well as Dancing on Dangerous Ground at the Theater Royal in the West End of London.

Sarah began dancing with Rose Academy at the age of 7. She competed for 16 years at both the regional and national levels before pursuing TCRG certification. Sarah has been a counselor with Camp Rince Ceol for the past 4 years, and has attended the Riverdance summer program in both Dublin and Boston. She is a current member of the Na Scéalaithe Irish Dance company, which is based locally in San Diego. In addition to Irish dance, Sarah also has training in ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theater, and enjoys performing in shows throughout the county. Sarah graduated with a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from San Diego State University in 2022, and is currently a practicing SLP with Poway Unified School District.

In order to share their passion for Irish Dance, Patricia , Mary Ann, and Sarah decided to become Irish Dance teachers.  They passed the rigorous exam given by An Comisiun (based in Dublin, Ireland) and are currently registered with An Comisiun, The Irish Dance Teacher’s Association of North America, and the Western US Region. 

Patricia has been teaching in the San Diego area for more than twenty years and welcomed Mary Ann to the school in 2017, and Sarah in 2024.  They enjoy teaching students of all ages.  Their positive teaching style challenges their students and encourages their students to always do their best.  In August 2021, Patricia was one of 20 teachers worldwide who received the Irish Dancing Magazine Teacher of Excellence award.