McGinley School of Irish Dance

Teacher Biographies

Lena C. McGinley-Crosier O.D.C.R.N.

Owner/Director McGinley School of Irish Dance

Lena McGinley-Crosier was born in Sligo, Ireland and lived in

Carrick-On-Shannon until the age of five. Her family moved to United

States in 1982. Lena began dancing, at the age of seven, under the

direction of Donny Golden in Mineola, New York. She performed and

competed with the Golden School of Irish Dancing until the age of

sixteen. At the age of fifteen, along with her two sisters and 100 other

champion dancers, Lena performed at Radio City Music Hall with

Frank Patterson in “A Great Night for the Irish.” When she left New

York, she was competing at the Preliminary Championship level in An Coimisium le Rinci Gaelacha.

In May, 1999, Lena earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education, Mathematics from Bloomsburg University and in August, 2004, she earned her Master of Education in Administration from Temple University. Lena taught secondary mathematics in the West Shore School District for seven years.

In January, 2000, The Ceili Dancers, (the original name of the group), were formed with six original members. Under her direction, the school has grown to over 100 dancers.

Lena is a fully qualified teacher (O.D.C.R.N.) with Cumann Rince Naisiunta (Dublin, Ireland), having completed her degree in June, 2007. She is the first American to accomplish this.

Lena is married to William Jay Crosier. They currently reside in Mechanicsburg, PA.

Contact Lena

Annie McGinley O.D.C.R.N.

Assistant Teacher McGinley School of Irish Dance

Annie McGinley, the youngest of the three McGinley girls, joined the McGinley school staff in December 2006. Annie was born in Mineola, New York and began dancing at the age of 5 under the direction of Donny Golden. When the family relocated to Hershey, Annie trained under Maureen O'Grady in Bethlehem, PA. She has performed at Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall and competed through Preliminary Championship Level in An Coimisium le Rinci Gaelacha. Since rejoining the McGinley School of Irish Dance, Annie has reentered the competition world. At the 2010 Irish Open Championships, Annie won the Over 21 Ard Grad Award and became a Champion, Craobh Grad, dancer within Cumann Rince Naisiunta.

In December, 2006, Annie earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Business Management with a focus in Music Management from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Annie is also a fully qualified teacher (O.D.C.R.N.) with Cumann Rince Naisiunta (Dublin, Ireland), having completed her degree in June 2010.

Annie brings her extensive experience in theatre and stage performance to the school. In February, 2007, she co-produced with Lena, the McGinley Schools first full theatre show which included over 90 performers. The show was a sold out event!

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Danielle McGinley

Artist McGinley School of Irish Dance

Danielle was born in Sligo , Ireland and has been active in Irish dancing since she was five years old. In January 2000, Danielle was one of the original Ceili dancers, and has since contributed to the school through her artwork. Danielle began drawing Celtic knots while in high school. She designed her first solo costume at the age of 17. Danielle has designed restaurant menus for local favorites such as The Hershey Pantry, and has painted murals in hotels, schools, and private residences.

In June 2004 Danielle earned her Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Bloomsburg University. In August 2007 she completed her Master of Arts Degree at California State University, Long Beach.

Danielle currently lives in California where she works as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She continues to do freelance artwork.

Contact Danielle