Noelle Cataldo, University of Wisconsin Madison
Noelle Cataldo is a third year PhD student and the President of Sláinte Irish Dancers at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She has been the President for 2 years, bringing the team to the CIDA Nationals 2025 (University of Dayton) and 2024 (Iona University). The team submitted a Video Entry in 2023 and 2025 as well. The team was initially founded in 2017 but suffered severe membership loss following the pandemic. The club was revitalized by both Noelle and Cleo Whitney, the incoming 2025-2026 President, in Spring 2023 and has seen continued success since.
What area of student involvement does the Slainte Irish Dance team fall under on campus, and how does that benefit the team?
Sláinte Irish Dancers is part of the Sport Clubs Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As part of this organization, they are given scheduled access to practice facilities and financial assistance. Specifically, they are able to practice on campus in multi-purpose rooms with mirrors and Marley flooring 2-3 times a week during allocated time slots. Sláinte is also grateful for the financial support that the Sport Clubs program provides in the form of RecWell Funds, Equipment Support Funds, Regionals & Nationals Support Funds, Reservation & Rentals Funds, and Emergency Support Funds.
Aside from their classification as a Sport Club, Sláinte is also a Registered Student Organization. This designation allows them to reserve non-recreational rooms around the university such as auditoriums for their annual showcase or the upcoming 2026 National Collegiate Irish Dance Championships. This designation also provides additional funding opportunities through the Associated Students of Madison such as the Event Grant and Travel Grant.
What resources does the University provide to help the club promote themselves to prospective team members, or announce shows, events, results, or club happenings?
The university provides multiple opportunities for Sláinte Irish Dancers to promote themselves throughout the school year. The club is allowed to table for free at the Fall and Spring Student Organization Fairs and the Fall Sport Clubs specific fair. Year round, information on the club can be found on both the Sport Clubs website and Wisconsin Involvement Network website. For a small charge, Sláinte is allowed to send out one mass email a semester to all students on campus advertising their club. There are also numerous university and local email newsletters that the club has used to advertise in the past. Lastly, the Sport Clubs program runs an Instagram page that has posted about Sláinte’s accomplishments.
Outside of the university, Sláinte does significant self-promotion through social media. They are considerably active on Instagram where they create and post trendy reels. In the last 30 days alone, this account has reached 50,000 other users with their top post accumulating over 4,000 views. This online engagement has significantly helped to recruit new members as well as increase interactions with the community.
How did you manage to travel to not just Ohio a few states over, but all the way to New York from Wisconsin? What did the school do to help you?
Sláinte is grateful for the support of both the Sport Clubs program and the Associated Students of Madison (ASM) for making their travel to competitions such as the National Collegiate Irish Dance Championships possible. Travel to the Nationals was specifically supported by the ASM Travel Grant. The ASM is the official student governance body of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is comprised of student-elected officials to oversee the needs of over 48,000 students. One of the goals of the ASM is to fund registered student organizations through grant programs such as the Travel Grant. The Travel Grant provides funds for Registered Student Organizations, such as Sláinte, to travel during the academic year as a way to further and advance their club mission. In 2024, Sláinte was awarded this grant for the purchase of flights to New York and hotel rooms. In 2025, Sláinte was awarded this grant for gas and hotel rooms.
What fundraisers have you found most successful for the team?
The most successful fundraisers for Sláinte Irish Dancers have been local performances around the community. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the club put on 20 paid performances around Madison. Donations were encouraged for each performance although not required. In general, donations ranged from $50 to $450 depending on the performance. Common performance venues included senior living centers, restaurants, bars, and libraries. Many venues reached out to the club through online platforms or over the phone, however, club leadership also actively sought out performances by contacting locations. These events have led to continued collaborations with businesses and organizations that have the team back monthly or yearly.
Other successful Sláinte fundraisers included setting up a donation link through the university, ticket scanning for athletic events, and running concession stands at athletic events.
How did you submit your video entries in 2025 and 2023? Was there another school club that helped you create the video?
The video entries for both the 2023 and 2025 National Collegiate Irish Dance Championships were filmed and edited by Noelle Cataldo. The videos were shot using an iPhone camera and iMovie was used on a MacBook laptop to create the final edit. Club members collaborated on the song mixing as well as the choreography for the dances themselves. Submitting a video entry in 2023 was an excellent way for the club to get involved in CIDA despite funding uncertainties and paved the way for future involvement in the organization.
Is there a resource that you have found most beneficial? Is there a resource you haven't found but if a school had it, then it would greatly benefit an Irish Dance team?
The most beneficial resource used by Sláinte that would be accessible to all other Club Irish Dance teams is getting involved in the community. This includes contacting local Irish Cultural Centers, Irish folk music groups, and Irish restaurants/bars. These Irish hubs are often eager to collaborate through performances or contribute through donations. Sláinte has formed long standing relationships with these organizations leading to consistent paid performances and funding streams. Furthermore, this is an excellent opportunity to advertise for shows, events, and fundraisers.
While possibly not accessible for all Club Irish Dance teams, Sláinte has been supported financially thought the Sport Club program and Associated Students of Madison. Other universities may have similar grant programs in some form for their student organizations that are essential to consider for funding purposes.
Ultimately, get involved, reach out, and form connections!
For more information on any of these topics, especially funding ahead of NCIDC 2026, do not hesitate to reach out to Sláinte Irish Dancers. Stay tuned for detailed documentation on reducing costs for your team when traveling to Madison!
Sláinte’s Email: madisonslainte@gmail.com
Noelle’s Email: ncataldo@wisc.edu
