Our Staff

Deirdra is a lifelong Irish dancer hailing from County Waterford, Ireland. She competed for the Michael Ryan School of Irish Dance in Tipperary, where she consistently performed at the very top every competition. Winner of 10 World Medals, Munster Champion, Great Britain Champion and several top placements at the All Ireland Championships, Deirdra went on to tour internationally for many years as the female lead in shows with The Chieftains, The Gardiner Brothers, Michael Donnellan and Solas.

Deirdra has diplomas in exercise science and early childhood studies, and a Masters in Dance Performance from the University of Limerick. In 2019, Deirdra took over Qatar’s only Irish Dance school which she managed until she moved to the United States to lead Trinity’s teaching staff in 2021.

Deirdra lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but travels to our Madison and Elmhurst locations on a weekly basis.

Kelly Bell has been with Trinity for 30 years as a dancer, teacher, performer and now parent. She is a certified K-9 teacher in Illinois and taught second grade for 10 years before taking time at home with her young children. Kelly is a teacher’s teacher at heart and is thrilled to have the opportunity to combine her passion for teaching with her love of Irish dance. As a dancer, she competed in teams and solos at the International level and as a member of Trinity Irish Dance Ensemble was lucky enough to perform at prestigious folk festivals around the globe as well as in the national media on television shows like Good Morning America.

Kelly lives in Westmont, IL with her husband and four children.

Deirdre was born and raised in Chicago by immigrant parents from Mayo & Kerry and has been Irish dancing since the age of 5. She has experienced every facet of success at Trinity, winning several MidAmerica titles as a solo dancer, many titles in team dancing including the World Championship gold in 1998, performed all over the globe with Trinity Irish Dance Ensemble, and was a founding member of Trinity Irish Dance Company, eventually earning the title of Associate Artistic Director for her leadership and choreographic skills.

Deirdre’s passion for Irish dance has been a constant through her life and led her to a degree in the arts with a dance concentration, teaching hundreds of students throughout her years at Trinity and being a proud Trinity parent. She lives in Palatine, IL with her husband and three children.

Michaela has been with Trinity for nearly 40 years as a dancer, performer, teacher, program lead and parent. She is a 1998 World gold medalist as a member of Trinity’s Senior Girls Figure, and coached Trinity’s Junior Girls team to World gold in 2024. Michaela is also a founding member of the Trinity Irish Dance Company and toured North America and the world as a professional Irish dancer before settling in the Chicago area to teach full time at Trinity.

Michaela has a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology, an M.Ed in Elementary Education and is a certified K-9 teacher in the State of Illinois. She lives with her husband, 3 teenage children and one very rotund dog in Highland Park, IL.

MacKenzie joined Trinity at the young age of 4 and has thrived ever since as a competitor, teammate, performer and teacher. A very successful solo dancer, including 6 MidAmerica titles and top ten finishes at the National and World level, she is also a 5 time World Medalist in team dancing, including 2 Gold medals in both Figure Choreography and Ceili categories. As a performer she had opportunities with Trinity to appear on television shows like Martha Stewart and Conan O’Brien, as well as trips around the world with Trinity Irish Dance Ensemble. MacKenzie joined Trinity Irish Dance Company at a young age and worked her way up to Artistic Associate and Dance Captain while touring the world, including 5 tours of Japan.

MacKenzie earned her degree in Communications and pursued a career in Public Relations before taking on the Performance Manager position at Trinity. MacKenzie lives in Chicago and enjoys teaching yoga and Pilates in her spare time.