Cé hí Tereza Macoszek Jindrová?

Tereza at the Kerry Bog Museum with her husband and son.

Tereza, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in Prague, my parents were born here and my grandparents too – so I'm really, really a true Prague native. I studied Civil and Roads Engineering in high school, and then I continued to university, but I didn't finish the course because I had discovered and fallen in love with Irish dance and I decided to make it my profession. So I stopped studying one year before finishing the course.

How did you discover Irish dancing first?

The first time I ever saw Irish dancing was when I was in sixth grade in elementary school, we were on a field trip and we had movie nights. One night we watched Braveheart, and the next night we watched Lord of the Dance. Years later, I saw the show [Lord of the Dance] live in Prague at age 16, and I was completely captivated by the energy, rhythm and music. I knew I had to try it myself, so I started dancing at 17 years old. That is actually considered quite old for beginning with Irish dance, but I didn’t mind, I started attending classes and dancing more and more.

And fast forward to today, you actually have your own Irish dancing school…

Yes, actually, I have two Irish Dance schools! Back in 2009, I thought it would be fun to call the school Veselá Kopýtka (“Happy Soles”), because for me happy dancing is the main priority - and “kopýtka” (sheep hooves) also reminded me of the Irish landscape full of sheep. Google Translate was a bit of an adventure back then, so when I typed it in, it magically turned into Sona Sól. I liked how it sounded and decided to keep it. Only later, during an Irish course, I found out Sól could mean both part of the shoe and a kind of flat fish, which just adds to the fun of our name. I laughed at the mix-up, but it felt just right - because our school has always been about joy, creativity, curiosity, and not taking ourselves too seriously while learning and dancing together. And more and more people joined and started dancing with us, and soon some of my dancers wanted to compete too. So I decided to get my TCRG [Teagascóir Choimisiúin le Rinci Gaelacha] exams and then when I passed them, I started TJ Academy of Irish Dance [a sister school to Sona Sól] in 2018.

Tereza in charge at her St. Patrick's Day Céilí, with Conamara Chaos proving the music.

And so how do you split your time between those two schools? 

From inside, you will not see any difference. I am proud to run both schools, giving the same energy and care to all dancers – whether they come to compete or simply for the love of dance.


Are there more male or female students in the classes?

It depends - in the kids’ classes, it is mostly girls, but I'm also teaching PE at ČVUT and there we usually have a problem that we have more gentlemen than ladies. So this is also an invitation for ladies for classes!

Why are there so many Irish Dance schools in the Czech Republic?

In the Czech Republic, Irish dance developed in small independent communities. That’s why Prague now has several schools, unlike many other big European cities. It shows the passion and commitment of our community to keep Irish dance thriving.

And you're involved in the organization of the dancing championships with the RCCEA?

Yes, I’m part of the RCCEA [Regional Council of Irish Dancing Teachers for Continental Europe and Asia] organizing team. And the qualifying competitions are taking place in Prague this year in December. This is the first time they've been in Prague so it is a big deal for the Czech Republic, which probably has more Irish Dance schools and groups than any other country in Continental Europe. And also in October, we will have exams for future TCRGs [teachers] and ADCRGs [adjudicators] here too. I feel proud to contribute alongside my colleagues, and to see how strongly Irish dance has taken root here.

Any other activities you’re involved in?

With my school we also organize regular céilí and set dancing weekends in Prague. We always try to create as authentic an Irish atmosphere as possible – so when people join our events, especially the set dance weekends, they really feel as if they’ve experienced Ireland without leaving Prague. Very often, these weekends actually inspire people to travel to Ireland afterwards!

I also really enjoy organizing Irish-themed events in general. One of the highlights for me has been co-organizing the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Prague with Darragh Price. We held it for the first time last year [2024], this year was the first “official” one, and it it was a fantastic success. It brought together dancers, musicians and the wider Irish community in the Czech Republic. We’re excited to continue building on that and make the next parade even bigger and better.

Looking towards the future, what are the prospects for Irish dancing in the Czech Republic?

Ooh, that's a tough question. I believe Irish dancing in the Czech Republic has a bright future. Interest naturally comes in waves, but right now we see it growing again. People in Central Europe have always been drawn to Celtic heritage, and Irish dance is a wonderful way to connect with that tradition while building a strong community today. I hope that Irish Dancing will never disappear from here!

Thank you Tereza!

You can keep up to date with what's happening with Tereza's dance schools on Facebook.