Wexford dancer set to ‘pursue her dream' at one of UK's most prestigious performing arts colleges
Having started out as little more than a toddler, Alannah eventually joined the modern dance class and later progressed to contemporary, acro, tap, commercial, pointe and any other dance class that was available to her.
"If there was a class running, you'd find Alannah in it,' said WSBPA Director and Owner Suzanne O'Leary. 'She trained six days a week.'
Along the way, Alannah performed on the National Opera House stage multiple times a year with WSBPA productions and many musical and drama societies. She also performed in Disneyland Paris and was a regular dancer at the Perform Festival in the RDS in Dublin.
Eventually, she was accepted to the Morea Associate Dance Programme and travelled to Dublin to dance with them regularly.
While with WSBPA, Alannah took all her exams in ballet and modern dance, up to and including her vocational level examinations, receiving a distinction in her Intermediate.
'As all her teachers will agree, Alannah's passion for dance is second to none, as is her superb talent,' Suzanne says proudly.
'She leaves Wexford on September 5 to pursue her dream and will be sadly missed by all her fellow dancers and teachers at WSBPA, who wish her all the love and best wishes for the future.'
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Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford dancer set to ‘pursue her dream' at one of UK's most prestigious performing arts colleges
Such is the level of Alannah's talents that, following rigorous auditions in London last year, she was accepted to both Performer's College and Laine Theatre Arts College. She chose the latter to continue her dance training and is excited to get started. Having started out as little more than a toddler, Alannah eventually joined the modern dance class and later progressed to contemporary, acro, tap, commercial, pointe and any other dance class that was available to her. "If there was a class running, you'd find Alannah in it,' said WSBPA Director and Owner Suzanne O'Leary. 'She trained six days a week.' Along the way, Alannah performed on the National Opera House stage multiple times a year with WSBPA productions and many musical and drama societies. She also performed in Disneyland Paris and was a regular dancer at the Perform Festival in the RDS in Dublin. Eventually, she was accepted to the Morea Associate Dance Programme and travelled to Dublin to dance with them regularly. While with WSBPA, Alannah took all her exams in ballet and modern dance, up to and including her vocational level examinations, receiving a distinction in her Intermediate. 'As all her teachers will agree, Alannah's passion for dance is second to none, as is her superb talent,' Suzanne says proudly. 'She leaves Wexford on September 5 to pursue her dream and will be sadly missed by all her fellow dancers and teachers at WSBPA, who wish her all the love and best wishes for the future.'
RTÉ News
30-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Something for the Weekend: Alannah Thornburgh's cultural picks
Alannah Thornburgh is an award-winning instrumentalist and composer from the west of Ireland with a focus on traditional Irish harp. Alannah's music explores her family heritage, reimagining melodies from the Irish harping and American folk & jazz traditions. Alannah was awarded 'Best Folk Instrumentalist' at the 2025 RTÉ Folk Awards and she is the current Musician-In-Residence at Carnegie Library, Fingal County Council/Music is also a founding member of Alfi, a trio who combine traditional Irish and Appalachian music and song. In February 2025, Alannah released her acclaimed debut album Shapeshifter; this September, she performs as part of Tradition Now in the National Concert Hall We asked Alannah for her choice cultural picks... MUSIC I have been incessantly listening to Poor Creature's album All Smiles Tonight since its release at the start of July. I think Ruth Clinton (Poor Creature, Landless) is a genius (which she displays very impressively across many art forms!) Another album that I have on repeat is Double You - a collaborative album by two instrumental virtuosos Aoife Ní Bhriain & Catrin Finch. FILM My go-to films are anything silly and light-hearted (Bullet Train and Detective Pikachu are coming to mind as I write this). I have a curiosity for thrillers and horror films (especially from a soundtrack/soundscape point of view) but truthfully I am too much of a wimp to watch either genre (the twist at the end of Fight Club was so intense for me that I fainted!) BOOK I really enjoyed Donal Ryan's collection of short stories A Slanting of the Sun. I absolutely adore Eithne Massey's The Turning of the Year: Lore and Legends of the Irish Seasons, a book that I return to often for inspiration. Manchán Magan recently announced that he will be releasing a new book in September Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun) which I will definitely be pre-ordering (his book Wolf-Men and Water Hounds is another favourite of mine). PLAY I saw Louise O'Neill's masterpiece Asking for It in the Gaiety Theatre a number of years ago - a truly harrowing but moving piece of work. I was fortunate enough to compose and perform some music for the RTÉ radio play Clarity at Last written by the immensely talented Charlie McGuinness (due for broadcast in late 2025, I believe). TV I was hooked on Severance this year, both from a storyline and musical point of view (the use of a theremin in Season 2 was just perfect). I am also a big fan of The Bear, and I have been meaning to rewatch Desperate Housewives since becoming obsessed with Kyle MacLachlan's Instagram content. GIG I have been very lucky to see Fionn Regan perform live twice already this year (in The Ambassador Theatre and at Night & Day Festival). I will be heading to All Together Now in a couple of weeks and I am ecstatic about seeing Fontaines DC, CMAT, Wet Leg and Bricknasty live. ART My favourite artist is Conor Campbell, the Limerick-born colour-blind artist whose work is so intricately beautiful and unique. Conor painted the artwork for my album Shapeshifter, and I am looking forward to celebrating his work at Tradition Now in the National Concert Hall on Thursday 25th September (alongside Diarmuid Mac Gloinn, Gareth Quinn Redmond and Junior Brother). TECH My partner Alex is developing a memory retention app as part of his Masters in Design Innovation and I have been a (hopefully supportive) guinea pig during the testing process! THE NEXT BIG THING... Shamrock Showband! The lads (Conor McAuley & Jamie Bishop) are two great friends of mine and have recently released their debut (self-titled) album. Check them out!
Irish Independent
09-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Wexford ballet school celebrate 60 years of excellence
Wexford People Today at 04:00 The Wexford School of Ballet and Performing Arts (WSBPA), will mark six decades of artistic development and dance education this year. WSBPA was founded in 1965 by Ann O'Leary, a pioneer within the arts space, and the driving force behind the introduction of ballet to the town. When the anniversary milestone was celebrated at the National Opera House in June, with two performances of Diamonds, featuring dancers of all ages, it was on foundations laid by Ann. It all started in the old YMCA Hall on the Main Street, where The Vine restaurant is now. In the early 1970s, Ann's daughter Suzanne was a young ballet student training under the school's guidance. She later studied at the Royal Academy of Dance before moving to England and refining her skills in ballet teaching and dance education. In 1988 Suzanne returned to Wexford and took up a teaching post with the school and would make a profound impact in the Wexford arts community. A year later, she took up a role as resident choreographer at the Wexford Pantomime Society and went on to co-found the Oyster Lane Theatre Group. Her students went on to attend some of the world's most prestigious institutions, like Kirov Ballet School in Russia and English National Bellet School. Between 1994 and 2023, WSBPA expanded to three locations in John Street, as well as Enniscorthy and New Ross. This year a new era commenced with the opening of Studio 12, a custom-built studio in Westpoint Business Park. This studio is four times larger and offers state of the art facilities for the next generation of Irish dancing talent. A spokesperson for the school said it is celebrating '60 years of nurturing talent, inspiring creativity and enriching the cultural fabric of Wexford'.
