Deirdre Penk, a West Vancouver resident, began dancing at age four and was recognized as one of the top ten dancers in the World at seven World Irish Dance Championships. She is a North American Champion, placed second in the Great Britain and British National Championships, and won the Overseas Trophy three times at the World Irish Dance Championships, where she wrapped up her competitive career with a fifth-place finish in 1989. The Penk O’Donnell School was established in 1995 as a way to get Deirdre out of her real estate office for a few hours a week!  To her great surprise, it turned out that Deirdre had a real knack for teaching!  She now teaches full time in two locations in the Lower Mainland – Coquitlam and Burnaby.  The students of the Penk O’Donnell School have achieved success at local, national & international level.  Numerous dancers have won medals at World Championships and titles at the North American Championships.  More important than medals and trophies to Deirdre, however, is a real passion for Irish dancing. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and she imparts it to all her students. Whether you want to dance for fun and friendship, or to be the best in the World – this is the school to dance at.