Cosa Meara Company of Irish Dance
Cosa Meara Company is the first collegiate Irish dance network. Cosa meara (Irish pronunciation: [ˈkˠɔsˠə ˈmaɾə]) is Gaelic for "Quick Feet." Officially registered student organizations focused on Irish dance may join the college network.
Purpose
The network presents a new experience for dancers, involving creativity and opportunity from working with dancers of different styles and schools. Together, they perform original choreographies and skilled dance, often the first to introduce this art form to their campus communities. CMC's goal is to increase Irish dance involvement in college communities, displaying it in both a traditional and modern light through choreography and performance.
History
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 joined CMC to share the name, logo, and ideals. Additional universities that have been involved with the network include: Florida State University, the University of Dayton, University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, the University of Minnesota, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and West Virginia University.