O'Brien Irish Dance Academy was founded by Aoibheann (pronounced Even) O'Brien-Barbera. Aoibheann, who is a certified TCRG (Irish dance teacher),  was born and raised in Co. Meath, Ireland. When she was just three years old, she and her two older sisters started taking Irish dancing lessons in Dublin city with the Inis Ealga school of Irish Dance. When she was 10 years old she began to study under the world famous Marie Duffy School of Irish Dance. In her competitive career she has won numerous Leinster (regional), All Ireland and World Championship medals for both solo and team dancing.

In 1994, when she was just sixteen years old, she became an original cast member of Riverdance The Show as one of its youngest members. She performed to sold out audiences in London’s famous Apollo Theatre, Dublin’s Point Depot Theatre, New York’s Radio City Music Hall just to name a few.

In 1999, she was cast for the international phenomenon Michael Flatley’s Feet of Flames. She toured all over the world to sold out arenas and stadiums to crowds up to 110,000 people, including Madison Square Garden (New York) , Budapest Stadium (Hungary), and Stormont Castle (Belfast, Ireland). She has also performed in prestigous events including The Royal Comand performance for Prince Charles, in the Royal Albert hall in London, The Ryder Cup Golf Tournament in Birmingham and many more.

In 2001 she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to join the cast of Lord of the Dance in The Venetian Resort and Casino. In 2005 she moved to Tennessee with her husband where they still live with their two children today.

Aoibheann loves sharing her experiences and the culture of Ireland with her students and loves teaching Irish dancing to both young and old.