Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Joanna Barry-Connolly began training in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Irish Step Dance at the age of three. Her theater credits in Ireland include performances at The Gaiety, The Olympia, The Point, and R.T.E. (Ireland’s National Television Station). She toured with the renowned Jury’s Irish Cabaret and performed as a solo Irish Step Dancer alongside top Irish-American entertainers.

Joanna later founded her own dance company, Emerald Fire, touring Europe with symphony orchestras and appearing in the U.S. at Mohegan Sun and various festivals and theaters. In New York, she has performed with Niall O’Leary Dance Troupe and Darrah Carr Dance, where she first collaborated with Melissa Padham-Maass. Her New York stage highlights include performances at the Irish Arts Center, The Duke Theater, Carnegie Hall, and TV appearances on the Today Show and Fox New York for St. Patrick’s Day.