Ukrainians in the Ukrainian Community Centre in Rathmines, Dublin are hopping, skipping, and jumping into a core element of Irish culture: Irish dancing.
The troupe are led by 17-year-old Ukrainian, Kristina Bondarenko, who came to Ireland last year with her mother, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The young dancer started Irish dancing five years prior to her arrival here, in her hometown of Odesa. The teenager used YouTube videos to teach herself the first steps.
"We have two schools for Irish dancing in Odesa so it's very popular. Both in our city and Ukraine actually. We have a lot of competitions in Kyiv, in other cities and countries, so it's really popular in Ukraine," said Ms Bondarenko.
Even while living in Odesa, Ms Bondarenko was fascinated by Irish culture. She never expected to end up in Ireland, but says she is happy to be here.
"I used to always draw Irish flags and loved Irish dance. So I think it's very very good to bring cultures together through dancing."
Kristina, who attends St Joseph's College in Lucan, aspires to become a professional Irish dancer and trains for one hour every day.
Last week, the Irish dance class was joined by Riverdance cast members Jason O'Neill and Emma Mannion, who taught them a few steps from Riverdance's most iconic number.
Ms Bondarenko operated as a translator between the professional dancers and the Ukrainian group throughout the workshop.
"They picked it up very very quickly" said Ms Mannion, "they enjoyed it so much, and even for us it's a new lease of life.
"Even though there's a language barrier, as soon as the music goes on, that just doesn't exist anymore. We're all just learning the same thing. So it's nice to come together and do it."
One of the children attending the dance class was 13-year-old Yeva Skalietska, who came to Ireland from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. She attends weekly Irish dance lessons under the eye of Ms Bondatenko.
"It was such a great honour to meet Riverdance," she said, "and to learn new skills from the professionals. I remember last year I went to their concert and we had tears because it was such a great performance.
"Dance unites people together and it helps us to understand each other better. You're not only dancing, you're making great friends with each other and you have lots of fun in knowing something new," she said.
The Riverdance cast members are currently performing in a 25th anniversary show in the Gaiety in Dublin.
