The city of Palos Heights cleared the way for an award-winning business to come into the city at its Sept. 15 city council meeting.
The Lavin Cassidy School of Irish Dance, which currently calls Worth home, is planning to relocate to Palos Heights in the former Redemption Vault space on Harlem Avenue.
The storefront, 12343 S. Harlem, was in need of a special use permit in order for the dance studio to operate, which the city council voted unanimously to approve.
The school has been operating in the Chicago suburbs for 40 years and teaches solo and team Irish dancing to boys and girls at levels from novice, starting at 3 years old, to expert.
Teacher and school owner Ann Lavin-Cassidy is herself a multi-championship winner and has coached numerous individuals and teams to top three finishes in national and regional competitions in North America as well as the U.K. and Ireland.
“She is one of the top teachers in the world and she happens to be a Palos Heights resident,” said Clerk Shannon Harvey. “We’re very excited she chose this as their new home. It will bring a lot of families into the city, and the parents tend to visit other businesses while their kids are dancing.”
Lavin-Cassidy moved to the Chicago from Ireland, where she grew up dancing, in 1986, and her daughter Caoimhe, another former championship dancer, is now an instructor at the school.
“We love to share our passion for Irish Dance and Culture with the newest generation,” Lavin-Cassidy notes on the studio website.
The school is celebrating its 40th anniversary this October at Gaelic Park in Oak Forest, before it relocates to Palos Heights.