It’s been a whirlwind week for Kelley McArdle and her dance school, Karma Dance Krew, who took home top honours at the Golden Dance Awards in Castleknock Hotel, Dublin, on Saturday, 13 September 2025.
Kelley was shortlisted in three categories back in May – Ireland’s Hip-Hop School of the Year, Ireland’s Choreographer of the Year, and County Louth Dance School of the Year.
On awards night, she went one better, winning Choreographer of the Year and Hip-Hop School of the Year. To top it off, Karma was handpicked to represent Ireland at the Dance World Cup in July 2026.
Founded in summer 2022, Karma Dance Krew has already built an impressive reputation.
From choreographing Drogheda’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade winning float, to dancing alongside Versatile at the 3Arena, and even joining Snoop Dogg’s World Tour, the group has gone from strength to strength.
This year, their Squid Games-themed routine at the World of Dance Ireland blew away the judges, scoring the highest marks of the day and securing a spot at the World of Dance Summit in Los Angeles next summer.
With 27 dancers aged from 10 upwards, training 3–4 times a week, the team are now focused on fundraising to make their LA dream a reality.
Plans include a Lip Sync Battle fundraiser on Sunday, 23 November at the Barbican Theatre, Drogheda, with more events to follow.
Karma are also preparing for UDO Worlds qualification in Dublin and the All-Irelands in Tralee, with hopes of qualifying in three different world-level federations before the year ends.
Kelley summed it up best: “To every single one of my beautiful dancers — without you, I am just a girl with big dreams. With you, we make dreams come true.”
