About Jump'n Jig 

Jump’n Jig is an Irish Dance Program  for preschoolers, designed by Fiona Holmes ADCRG & BAED.

Fiona has been a qualified and registered teacher of An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha since 2002 and a qualified and registered  adjudicator since 2016.

She has completed a Bachelor of Education P-12 in 2004 and is a registered teacher with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and has a passion for teaching and learning, and also runs the McAleer Dance School  in Victoria

In 2010, the McAleer Dance School relocated and opened a brand new studio in Pakenham, Victoria. Pakenham is a satellite suburb of Melbourne, 56km south-east of Melbourne’s CBD, located within the Shire of Cardinia.  The Shire of Cardinia is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia, with its population expected to increase from 115,000 in 2019 to 200,000 in 2040.

Since 2010, 45,000 people have moved into the area. The majority of the new residents were young families, and within days of opening, the phone started ringing with the parents of toddlers wanting to come to Irish dancing classes.

Fiona's initial reaction was ‘How do I teach a 2 year old the reel?’ As a new business in the area, she didn’t want to turn anyone away.

She then asked herself the question, ‘What if I don’t teach the reel? What if I teach them the fundamental basics and give them the passion to be an Irish Dancer?’.

And so began the very first preschool Irish dance class. It was an immediate success and she soon had to create levels to accommodate the vast difference in development of children aged 2 to 5 years. After years of trial and error, Fiona has developed the Jump’n Jig program.