In a Wyoming history, family tree sort of way, perhaps you could credit Glen Gorman for returning to Guernsey to live and sell cars after serving in France during World War II.

Or credit one of his eight children, Tom, for settling in Cheyenne to practice law after an outstanding football career at the University of Wyoming.

Heck, you could credit Tom's son, Matt, for choosing to practice orthopaedic medicine in Casper. But mostly, the credit goes to Megan Gorman, Matt's wife, whom he met at Notre Dame, and her sister, Anne' Ellis, of Columbus, Ohio.

Matt and Megan moved to Casper two years ago, and Megan was anxious to explore Casper's Irish history. But her eagerness was dashed when she learned there was no formal Irish dance training offered here, despite the strong Irish presence in Natrona County's history.

Enter younger sister, Anne'. "I started Irish dancing when I was 5, but I quit and I missed it," Anne' said Friday as her students began arriving at the Casper Country Club for the final day of their first workshop.

She resumed her training at age 11 and her feet have barely stopped since.

Now 26, she teaches dance part-time for the renowned Richens/Timm Academy of Irish Dance and teaches English full-time at Columbus State Community College in Ohio.

"We started seriously planning this in the winter, and we are thrilled with the response," Megan Gorman said, as she fixed daughter, Tamsyn's hair for the 4-7 year-old class. Tamsyn had requested a pony tail like Aunt Anne"s for her class.

In the 8-year-old and up class, there were nine youth and one adult. There were eight in the 4- 7 year-old class. And there were also five students enrolled in a similar first session at the Casper Recreation Center.

Ellis will return in August to teach an afternoon class at Casper Country Club and an evening class at the Casper Recreation Center.

Kari Harris, mother of Allyn Harris, 10, watched in amazement while the class practiced what it had learned.

"This is just beautiful," she said.

Although Ellis said most of the students in the class had some dance background, Allyn did not.

"I am amazed at how far they have come in four days," Kari Harris said. "This would be such a good addition to our community."

Ellis said students with previous dance experience can be helped by knowing footwork basics, and that soccer players, sprinters and football players also usually have the footwork-balance issues down pretty well.

But dancers in other disciplines use their arms, and Irish dance features arms down or locked behind the hip. And some of the students were still fighting the urge to swing their hips, while Irish dance features straight posture.

In four days, the students learned footwork and balance, a group dance and a solo dance.

Ellis says the popularity of Irish dance "boomed after River Dance and Lords of the Dance," but she says it is now considered a very strong modern art form.

"It's a culture in and of itself," she said. "And its popularity has spread worldwide and is now in 12 countries as diverse as Argentina and Russia."

The Richens/Timm Academy has six certified teachers and a presence in Columbus, Indianapolis, Tipton, Ind., and Dayton, Ohio.

"The goal is I individually want to keep coming back," Ellis said, "and I will as long as I have students interested."

The deadline for August registration is July 31. For more information, email aellis27@gmail.com or call (614) 378-1527.

Community News editor Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at (307) 266-0520 or sallyann.shurmur@trib.com. Read Sal's blog at tribtown.trib.com/Sal/blog