Russell J.  Beaton, SDCRG, born in Boston, Massachusetts, at age ten began studying Irish dance in Boston with Mary Costello Madden, TCRG. He competed throughout New England and the New York area in both solo and team competitions.  He was awarded his TCRG in 1976 and his ADCRG in 1980.  He was director of the Beaton School of Irish Dance for 15 years in Frederick MD, where his daughter Angela Beaton Lyons and Doug Westfall ADCRG were also teachers.  In addition to his years of teaching and judging, in 2007 he was appointed an examiner (SDCRG) by the Irish Dance Commission in Dublin.  He has served in several capacities on the Irish Dance Commission, most recently a two-year term as chairperson of the CLRG Examination Authority.  Russell is the current President of the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America, Inc. (IDTANA).

Russell was inducted into the Frederick County Maryland Arts Council’s Hall of Fame for the Arts in recognition of his contributions to the arts and to the world of Irish Dance nationally and internationally.

He retired four years ago after forty-three years with the Frederick County (Maryland) Public School System, where his most recent assignment was as the Curriculum Specialist for Visual and Performing Arts. Russell lives in Frederick, MD, with his wife of forty-seven years, Millie Allen Beaton, TCRG.

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