The Rhythm Team

Principal Female Dancer

Jessica Cartwright

Dance Captain & Lead Female Dancer

One of the leading female stars of the Irish Dancing show circuit!
Jessica went to her first Irish Dance class at the age of 4 in Antrim, Northern Ireland and was immediately hooked. She spent 7 years at the Castletown School of Irish Dancing where she started of dancing the festival style of Irish dance and later moved to Royal Tara Dance Academy, where she still helps teach and train the next generation of dancers today. Jessica has always had a strong work ethic and relentless dedication to her dancing, where her competitive career took off and became the platform for her enviable achievements.
Over the course of her competitive career Jessica has won multiple titles including CRDM x2 British National Championships, x3 All Ireland Championship, x2 London Championships, x3 Dublin Championships… to name only a few! Jessica is also CRDM x2 World Champion, which is one of her most proudest and greatest achievements throughout her dancing career. 
Moving on to the next stage of her career, Jessica followed her lifetime dream to perform as a professional dancer in shows all around the world. Her favourite aspect when competing was always the performance side and always loved to put on a show on stage, this is when she knew she wanted to progress this and move into doing the shows. Jessica has been dancing with Rhythm of the Dance for 3 years now and has been principle lead dancer for over a year now. 
Her style, elegance and powerful dancing has entertained and captivated audiences across Europe and beyond with an intensity and passion which is second to none. In between her busy schedule, Jessica has also completed the first part of her official teaching qualifications and she continues to be an inspiration to all of the younger dancers hoping to follow in her footsteps.

Principal Male Dancer

Curtis Long

LEAD DANCER

Curtis who comes from Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland was born into a family who have over 55 year’s experience teaching Irish Dance and it was inevitable Curtis would become an Irish Dancer himself. At the age of 5 Curtis began dancing with Gavin and Seaneen Doherty in Belfast.He competed in many Feisanna, consistently being placed top 3 and at the age of only 7, Curtis claimed his first title of many at the North American Championships. During a successful 14 years of competing, Curtis won 2 American Nationals, 2 British Nationals, Great Britain, All Ireland, Ulsters, Irish Nationals and European Championship Titles and since the age of 9 has been Top 5 in the world, finishing off his competitive career achieving a ranking of 2nd place in the CLRG World Championships twice.

Curtis greatest wish was to become a professional principal lead dancer so following his success in competitive Irish Dance he joined Rhythm of the Dance Show and after 5 years of dedication and hard work he had achieved his dream role and has been Principal Lead Dancer for over a year now performing all over the world including China, Ukraine, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, America, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Central Asia. Curtis is now a fully Qualified Irish Dance Teacher with CRDM and has joined his family teaching in The Royal Tara Dance Academy. With his impressive skills, Curtis Long has become a role model for aspiring Irish dancers worldwide.

Choreography

James Greenann

From Co. Cavan is a passionate Irish dancer and sports massage therapist. As a child, James discovered his love for the art of Irish Dance in Dundalk where he was taught by the acclaimed Mona Rodaigh. He was fortunate enough to enjoy a successful competitive career having won every major title including the coveted World championships. This sparked James's love for the stage and steered his progression as a dancer into the professional arena.

James spent his professional career expanding his artistry by working on various productions and alongside admired choreographers. The most prestigious of these being Riverdance where he danced as the principal dancer for 12 years in venues such as Radio City Music Hall, New York and The 3 Arena, Dublin. Others include Heartbeat of Home [The West End, London], Eiru dance company [with Breandan de Gallai] and Prodijig's Footstorm [with Alan Kenefic].

In recent years, James has explored his own creative ideologies through various platforms. These include Celtic Gold in 2019 which he choreographed and directed, and his own corporate dance company KLIX. In addition to dance, James’ passion for movement has expanded into other disciplines as he is also a fully qualified and experienced Sports and Myoskeletal Massage Therapist. He works primarily with dancers in helping them move pain-free, recover from injury and live long, happy and healthy careers. His practice is called Corrective Manual Therapy which is based in Dublin. 

James is honoured to share his creative expertise with Rhythm of the Dance and continue to entertain audiences worldwide through the Irish culture. 

Creative

Belinda Murphy

In her career as a dancer, Belinda has appeared in many Musicals and stage shows in Ireland and abroad.

Stage direction and choreography credits include:

"Sleeping Beauty"- 3 arena Dublin.  "Messiah XXI" starring Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan.  Numerous pantomimes in the Olympia Theatre Dublin, UCH Limerick, and Cork Opera House.  "The Wiremen" - Gaiety Theatre.  "Celtic Thunder" touring the USA and Australia from 2007 to 2019

Belinda worked as assistant choreographer and dancer in the original "Riverdance" at the Eurovision song contest in 1994 and Subsequently at the royal command performance at the London Palladium.

Her choreography and movement direction can be seen on the big and small screen in productions including:

"The Tudors", "Camelot”, “Love Hate", "Leap Year", "Albert Nobbs", "Love Rosie", "Secret Scripture”, “Sing Street", "The Man Who Invented Christmas", "Vikings", "Valhalla", "The Winx Saga"

Most recently, Belinda has completed work on feature films Including:

"The Last Duel”, “Irish Wish", "The Pope's Exorcist “, Dancer Casting Director UK & Ireland for Disney’s "Disenchanted", 

Belinda Has Just Completed Her 5th Year Directing the UK Tour Of "Menopause the Musical 2"

Musical Director

Shane Moran

multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Mayo, Ireland.

He began playing music when he was 10 years old and competed successfully nationally on both the Banjo and Guitar in his teenage years and soon pursued a professional career in Irish Music.

Shane began working with Rhythm Of The Dance on Banjo and Guitar in 2013 for their 15th Year Anniversary World Tour. In 2016 he was delighted to attain the position as Musical Director for the show. Shane has toured extensively throughout more than 20 countries all over the world with Rhythm Of The Dance and has also featured on two PBS specials with the show.

His professional touring career began when he joined The Spirit Of Ireland in 2013 as a Guitarist and Vocalist and performed throughout Europe. He also held the role as Musical Director for the show. Shane also toured as the leading vocalist and head musician for a 6-month tour across Germany with “Dance Masters” in 2015/2016.

Shane was a featured Musician and Vocalist in Walt Disney World Florida serving 2 residencies in 2017 and 2018.

Shane has had many highlights in his career to date such as performing at the prestigious Kremlin Palace in Moscow, performing at the closing ceremony for the 2015 European Games in Baku-Azerbaijan, performing a residency in the New Orleans Casino Las Vegas and also performing alongside country music legend Dolly Parton in her theme park “Dollywood” as part of the Festival Of Nations.