A Galway Priest, Father Martin Glynn is using Irish Set Dancing as a means to bring people together
Friday, October 24, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Stomp-de-dump stomp-de-dump stomp-de-dump stomp!
I need words when I'm learning a new dance. These are the words I've made up to help me master "the gallop" in Sean-Nós Dancing, a solo form of Irish step dancing. Frank and I and a whole bunch of others have just started lessons with Kieran Jordan, who's teaching a beginner class at the Dance Complex in Cambridge (MA).
Kieran has made this form of Irish dancing popular in the Boston area, as evidenced by the thirty or so dancers who show up for class each week and struggle to make their feet tap out a rhythm in time to a slow reel with some semblance or order. As this is a "free-style" type of dance, there is really no *wrong* way to do it, within some guidelines like "keep your feet low to the ground" and "stay in time with the music," made all the more difficult by trying to remember to stomp first or struggling to switch from leadnig with the right foot to leading with the left. Ah, but wait 'til you see us in a couple of months! Hopefully, the stage-fright jitters will have worn down, as Kieran has us dance a solo before the group at each class. Here's what Sean-Nós dancing looks like as seen at the 2008 ICONS Festival in Canton (MA).
Just a note about how this relates to set dancing: there's a "Clare step" done in Sean-Nós dancing that is often used in the "lead-around" in set dancing. It's a fancy bit of footwork, but I'm still working on the words to it.
Kieran has made this form of Irish dancing popular in the Boston area, as evidenced by the thirty or so dancers who show up for class each week and struggle to make their feet tap out a rhythm in time to a slow reel with some semblance or order. As this is a "free-style" type of dance, there is really no *wrong* way to do it, within some guidelines like "keep your feet low to the ground" and "stay in time with the music," made all the more difficult by trying to remember to stomp first or struggling to switch from leadnig with the right foot to leading with the left. Ah, but wait 'til you see us in a couple of months! Hopefully, the stage-fright jitters will have worn down, as Kieran has us dance a solo before the group at each class. Here's what Sean-Nós dancing looks like as seen at the 2008 ICONS Festival in Canton (MA). Just a note about how this relates to set dancing: there's a "Clare step" done in Sean-Nós dancing that is often used in the "lead-around" in set dancing. It's a fancy bit of footwork, but I'm still working on the words to it.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Cops reveal Irish dance instructor's disturbing secret
I found an interesting article in a Minneapolis Minnesota newspaper that tells the story of a long time set dance teacher, his ability to "navigate" women around the floor, and his eventual dustup with the local police. Hope you enjoy!
http://www.startribune.com/local/30073039.html?elr=
http://www.startribune.com/local/30073039.html?elr=
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