Under the direction of Dublin born Emily Touzin, The Emerald School of Irish Dance began in Montpelier, Vermont in 1968 with 35 students. After 4 years in Houston, the school moved to Dallas, TX where it has been since 1977. Studios in Grand Prairie were added in 1996 and in Lewisville in 2000, directed by Emily's daughter, Leslie Middleton, TCRG.
The Emerald School became certified by The Irish Dance Commission in 2000 which qualifies their dancers to compete in Irish dance competitions all over the world. Their students began competing in Austin in May 2002 with great success. In 2 short years our students have been very successful in Irish dance competitions winning numerous awards throughout the state of Texas and the U.S. including Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, California and Washington. In the first Oireachtas (Regional Championship) that the school entered in December 2004 one of their dancers qualified to compete at the World Championships and at the North American National Championships.