About Us:
The Paloma School of Irish Dance was founded in 2015 by Esther Pujol. What began with a handful of students in a kitchen has now grown into a school of 100+ students. The students have danced in over 200+ performances in the surrounding areas from nursing homes to concerts with Celtic bands from Ireland.
Many dancers in the school choose to compete and many have been very successful in their short time with Paloma. From a Regional Champion to National and World Qualifiers, our students have reached many exciting milestones and have enjoyed the friendships and travel opportunities afforded to them through Irish Dance competitions.
The Mission of the Paloma School is to help everyone reach their highest potential as an Irish Dancer no matter what age, level of natural ability, level of commitment, etc... With an emphasis on fitness and Irish Dance technique, dancers will be given a fantastic foundation for pursuing Irish Dance competitively, through performances or as simply a hobby.
May 1 2022 - Paloma School of Irish Dance is excited to announce our immediate merger with The Doherty Petri School of Irish Dance!! Esther Pujol and Paloma will maintain their presence in the Lancaster community — we’re not going anywhere! — we’re just joining a bigger family to support our ongoing mission and goals. We will be as steadfast as ever in sharing our love of Irish culture and dance! Look for more information and updates coming soon!
The Paloma School of Irish Dance was founded in 2015 by Esther Pujol. What began with a handful of students in a kitchen has now grown into a school of 100+ students. The students have danced in over 200+ performances in the surrounding areas from nursing homes to concerts with Celtic bands from Ireland.
Many dancers in the school choose to compete and many have been very successful in their short time with Paloma. From a Regional Champion to National and World Qualifiers, our students have reached many exciting milestones and have enjoyed the friendships and travel opportunities afforded to them through Irish Dance competitions.
The Mission of the Paloma School is to help everyone reach their highest potential as an Irish Dancer no matter what age, level of natural ability, level of commitment, etc... With an emphasis on fitness and Irish Dance technique, dancers will be given a fantastic foundation for pursuing Irish Dance competitively, through performances or as simply a hobby.
May 1 2022 - Paloma School of Irish Dance is excited to announce our immediate merger with The Doherty Petri School of Irish Dance!! Esther Pujol and Paloma will maintain their presence in the Lancaster community — we’re not going anywhere! — we’re just joining a bigger family to support our ongoing mission and goals. We will be as steadfast as ever in sharing our love of Irish culture and dance! Look for more information and updates coming soon!
More on our Mission from Esther:
-Christian Character- "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?" In the midst of training my students to be the best athletes they can possibly be, my most important goal is to not forget why we are truly here. I have succeeded at nothing if my students become champions but at the cost of integrity, humility, and most importantly a relationship with God. "Paloma" means dove and it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in me. I pray regularly for the school and my students and I consider it to be my most important responsibility.
-Children from Hard Places- My own son had an early learning disability which took years of patience and hard work to overcome. His inability to memorize dance steps was one small part of that. When he won a Regional Championship, it was proof to himself that he could do anything with hard work and self-belief and it was one of the greatest gift I could ever give him. I have a passion for children like this and our school already serves many "Children from hard places" (i.e. adopted children, Children with learning disabilities, etc...)
-Health & Fitness- We are supposed to be good stewards of all that we have and that includes our own health. Our culture regularly makes it difficult to live a healthy lifestyle and my passion and goal is to help my students (children & adults) to learn the skills to stay healthy for life (i.e. proper and regular exercise, healthy diet, etc...) I love seeing my students reach their fitness goals!
-Christian Character- "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?" In the midst of training my students to be the best athletes they can possibly be, my most important goal is to not forget why we are truly here. I have succeeded at nothing if my students become champions but at the cost of integrity, humility, and most importantly a relationship with God. "Paloma" means dove and it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in me. I pray regularly for the school and my students and I consider it to be my most important responsibility.
-Children from Hard Places- My own son had an early learning disability which took years of patience and hard work to overcome. His inability to memorize dance steps was one small part of that. When he won a Regional Championship, it was proof to himself that he could do anything with hard work and self-belief and it was one of the greatest gift I could ever give him. I have a passion for children like this and our school already serves many "Children from hard places" (i.e. adopted children, Children with learning disabilities, etc...)
-Health & Fitness- We are supposed to be good stewards of all that we have and that includes our own health. Our culture regularly makes it difficult to live a healthy lifestyle and my passion and goal is to help my students (children & adults) to learn the skills to stay healthy for life (i.e. proper and regular exercise, healthy diet, etc...) I love seeing my students reach their fitness goals!