Lisa Petri, ADCRG | Karen Petri, ADCRG

Hailing from Long Island NY, sisters Lisa & Karen Petri both enjoyed successful corporate careers in finance before the success of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance afforded them the opportunity to teach Irish Dancing full time and pursue their passion. They were introduced to Irish Dancing in 1974 by their inspiring immigrant parents, Eileen, from Ennybegs, Longford, Ireland, and Carl, from Montefegatesi, Tuscany, Italy.

Under the direction of legendary teachers such as Jerry Mulvihill, Kevin Quinlavan, Kenny Verlin, Moira Quinn, Peter Smith, and Michael & Kathleen Maguire, the girls enjoyed successful competitive careers, winning numerous MARO Championships and Solo World medals. What began as an after school hobby to keep the family involved with part of its cultural heritage blossomed into a lifetime of opportunities, friendships, and memories.

The Doherty Petri School of Irish Dance was founded in 1991 and has become one of the preeminent Irish Dance schools in the world with locations in NY, CT, CA, MD, and Belfast, Ireland.

Casey O'Connor Kelly, TCRG

Casey began Irish dancing at the age of nine under the instruction of Eilis Rochez, ADCRG, in Buffalo, NY. She competed in her first Regional Championship when she was eleven years old and continued to compete at local, regional, and national competitions through her teenage years. She transferred to the Ryan-Kilcoyne school upon moving to MD where she continued her championship years under the instruction of Christina Ryan-Kilkcoyne, ADCRG. 

Casey studied abroad at the National University of Ireland, Galway where she continued to dance with the university's Irish Dance team. In 2012, she opened The O'Connor School of Irish Dance and successfully passed An Coimisiun Le Rinici Gaelacha's TCRG Exam in 2015.

The O’Connor School of Irish Dance was a staple in the local Irish community for 10 years before Casey merged her school into the Doherty Petri program in February of 2022.