Cosa Meara Company of Irish Dance
Cosa Meara Company is USA's first collegiate Irish dance national network. Pronounced koh-ssuh mah-ruh [ˈkˠɔsˠə ˈmaɾə], the name is Gaelic for "Quick Feet." Officially registered student organizations focused on Irish dance may join the network. Current Company colleges are: the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Marquette University, Florida State University, the University of Dayton, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, University of Minnesota, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Purpose[edit]
The Company's goal is to display skilled Irish dance in both a traditional and modern light through choreography and performance. CMC also serves as an opportunity for college dancers to be involved in this art form.
History[edit]
In August 2006, sixteen Irish dancers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign organized to audition for the school's homecoming variety show. This shared interest in continuing Irish dance sparked the idea to create a university group. In September 2006, CMC became the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's first Irish dance team. In December 2006, a group of twenty dancers at Marquette University became CMC's second branch in sharing the name, logo, and ideals. The third branch was formed with dancers from Florida State University in January 2007. The University of Dayton became CMC's fourth branch in February 2007. In November of 2007, three Chicago universities joined the network: the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola University Chicago. During the fall 2008 academic semester, the University of Minnesota and the University of California, Santa Barbara joined CMC.Other universities are currently in the process of becoming network members.
