Jude’s Joy of Dancing

Jude Flurry dances with a nimble precision that impresses audiences. His fancy footwork of Irish tap steps and kicks draws the eye, but the genuine smile on his face is equally captivating.

Jude began Irish dancing in Edmond at the age of six, joining some friends and his sister, Vienna. In Jude’s teen years, he spent five years in the United Kingdom training under John Carey, a world-renowned dancer who was in the first Riverdance cast – the most iconic Irish dance production of all time. Now, nineteen-year-old Jude has a stellar track record of leading roles and competitive awards. Within the first year of working with Carey, Jude moved from twentieth place in the World Championship to third place, and he has also placed in the top ten in almost every major Irish Dance competition.

Jude returned to Edmond in 2019 to attend college, and the rest of his family followed shortly. Jude reunited with many of his former dancing friends—and the idea for a show emerged. What about a Riverdance-style performance highlighting the talents of this crew of young dancers who grew up training together?

Jude’s parents and another dancer’s father developed the storyline about Irish dancing through the millennia, calling it Celtic Throne. They asked Brian Byrne, a Golden Globe nominated composer to write the musical score. Next, Jude, Vienna and their cousin Alexa Turgeon each choreographed the different dance numbers and began teaching them the cast, whose ages range from four to twenty-one.

Covid-19 delayed production nearly a year, but the cast spent time perfecting the show, costumes and lighting. Celtic Throne is now nearing the end of an 11-show tour of the southwest, with the final show at Armstrong Theater in Edmond on July 11th. Audience reaction is a driving force for all the dancers, but Jude, who is the lead in the show, particularly enjoys connecting with the people he is entertaining. “It’s especially satisfying when the audience erupts into cheers, and it’s a number you’ve choreographed yourself.”

According to Shane Granger, one of the show’s publicists, Jude is not only a talented dancer, he’s a 4.0 student, he’s an accomplished piano player, and he’s humble. “Much of an Irish dancer’s life is spent in isolation, either practicing, traveling, or competing in front of a judge. The fact that Jude has worked with his friends to create an artform that thousands of people can enjoy is uniquely special.”

Jude loves being on tour. “All my closest friends are in the show, and we all treat each other like family – even the ones I’m not related to. We worked together to create a cohesive show that works, because we are all dancing together,” Jude said. “We get on a bus, go to a hotel room and head to a theater to do our job—and it’s really fun!”