Tara Beck
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Tara has been Irish Dancing since the age of 4. This included both traditional and performance styles of Irish. For Tara it's all about the performance. She love's how Siamsoir manages to take Irish dance and make it so exciting and contemporary. The dancers entertain the audience by having fun themselves, and at the same time delivering a professional performance. Tara joined the company in 2009. She also enjoys dancing Hip-hop and other dance styles such as salsa and tango. She is studying Linguistics at Edinburgh University.

Rebecca Carradice
Musselburgh, Scotland

Rebecca joined the Ward School of Irish Dance when she was 7 years old and competed
regularly, taking part in the 2002 World Championships. Rebecca always preferred the performance element in shows. When she stopped classes at the age of 16, she began to teach younger dancers. Rebecca joined Siamsoir in 2009, and is thrilled to be performing again. She is the 2009 Team Leader and Produced of the company’s upcoming show “Celtic Caledonia.” Rebecca is currently studying at Edinburgh University reading French and English Language.

Jenn Hogan
Paisley, Scotland
Founder & Director

Since the age of four, Jenn has had a thirst for dance as a form of personal expression. Her father encouraged her to try Irish dance and Jenn joined the McLaughlin School of Irish Dance in Glasgow at the age of ten. There she was taught by James McLaughlin, his wife, and daughters. Shortly after, she began competing and delved into the world of Irish dance long before "Riverdance" brought it into mainstream popularity. After five years as the Irish dance instructor at the University of St Andrews, Jenn realised something could be done with the people she'd met along the way. In the winter of 2005, Jenn founded the Siamsoir Celtic Dance Company. In addition to her role as Company President, Jenn currently works for the National Trust of Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh.

Aimee Smith
Kirkwall, Orkney

Aimee started learning Irish soft shoe at a small dance school in Orkney when she was 9 years old. At the age of 11 she began hard shoe, and spent the next seven years performing. For the past year Aimee has put her dancing on hold, but she will step back onto the stage this year with Siamsoir as one of the new 2009 company members. Aimee is at the University of Edinburgh, studying Biology.

Rachel Smith
Washington D.C., U.S.A.

Rachel took up Irish dancing at a young age and for the past thirteen years competed and performed avidly around the U.S.A. After touring with the band Fynesound for two years, Rachel moved to Scotland to study Medieval History and International Relations at the University of St Andrews, which is where she first heard about Siamsoir. Rachel knew she wanted to be a part of the troupe when she was introduced to the hard-working and creative members of Siamsoir. It would give her the chance to perform at a high standard even after leaving the competition scene, and enjoy every moment. Rachel joined Siamsoir in 2008 and carries on the tradition of Irish step dance in St. Andrews as a Dance Society teacher.

Laura Walters, BSc, MLitt, PhD
Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

Laura has been dancing since she was 4 years old, studying classical ballet to a high standard (and dancing in ballets including the Nutcracker, Balanchine's Serenade, and excerpts from Coppelia, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Don Quixote). At the age of 15 she began Irish dance, and in 2006, she competed in the Senior Ladies' Championship in the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne (World Championships) in Belfast. Laura was one of the original members of Siamsoir, joining in 2005, and in addition to designing the sets for the 'Battle of Eire' has also assisted in choreographing several pieces for the company. Laura has just completed her PhD in art history.

Hannah Best
Sussex, England
Dancer 2005-2009

Caroline Bitter
San Francisco, CA, USA
Dancer 2006-2007

Emilie Gay
Lyon, France
Dancer 2005-2008

Jenni Elliott
Newcastle, England
2006-2007

Ruth Jones
Northern Ireland
2005-2009