Alicia Guinn's Beginner Sean-nós Dance Workshop

I brought along a couple of visiting family members to Alicia Guinn's Beginner Sean-nós Irish Step Dancing workshop in Milton, Massachusetts, yesterday - they were good sports to accompany me and had never done Irish dancing before. Alicia teaches in the Seattle, Washington area. By the end of the 1 1/2 hour lesson, they had mastered the not-so-easy heel lift and were looking mighty fine as they danced to the concertina music provided by George Keith.

Alicia (left) at Sean-nós workshop August 2009

It was a great class. We started off with just slow-walking in time to the music and built on that rhythmic step, adding the heel-lift - "lift 1-2-3, and 1-2-3," then adding the heel-taps to this basic step- "lift and-1-and-2-and-3, lift and-1-and-2-and-3" (or "lift a-1 a-2 a-3" the "a" being the heel tapping or dragging on the floor; it's a quick and light movement). We added the hop-back step - "hop-1 hop-2 hop-1-2-3" - and variations on the basic steps.

After a summer break, I'm eager to start my second year of classes with Kieran Jordan in the new Green Street studio location in Cambridge (MA). Not only is it a great low-impact aerobic workout, but it is wonderful to be able to tap out a reel or a jig any time, anywhere, to give the spirits a lift. I personally find it invigorating to tap it out in the ladies room at work for a bit before heading back to my sedentary desk job.

Irish Dancing in Florida

It's August and I'm still dancing. Summer is a less rigorously scheduled time when most dance classes take a break and here in Boston, at least, the regular Sunday set dances to live Irish music run from September to May, roughly. But Irish festivals, special Irish dance cruises, workshops, and a few year round set dancing groups keep the music going and the feet battering.

I was happy to read about the Irish dancing activities in Gainesville, Florida. The Inisheer Irish Dance Company sponsored "The Long Hot Summer Irish Ceili Dance and Workshops" in July - read the article in the Gainesville Sun - consisting of an Irish step-dance workshop and a subsequent ceili and set dance workshop, followed by an evening ceili dance accompanied by excellent area musicians, with guest instructor Liam Eagan of West Palm Beach leading the social dances and Piper Call leading a workshop on Sean nos ("old style") Irish step dance. [The article, by the way, does a great job of defining the various types of Irish dancing: step dancing, sean-nos dancing, set dancing and ceili dancing.]

 

Harrington's Beginner Class - Nora Helps Out (Reading Advocate photo)

It has long been a wish of mine to some day be a "snow-bird" but the one thing I would miss if I headed south in winter would be the Irish dancing - in season, September to May, you could dance every night of the week around Boston and several groups remain active all summer - so I'm glad to know that there are pockets of it alive and "kicking" in Florida. It's funny, though; as part of a plan to ensure that I would be able to dance no matter where in the world I go, I have started to teach set dancing to beginners so I can bring the Irish dancing with me.

Beginner Set Dancing at Harrington's

Frank and I have started teaching a beginner Irish set dancing class at Harrington's pub in Wakefield (MA, USA). We dance there upstairs on Wednesdays and have noticed there was an interest in the set dancing by some of the pub-goers but a lack of experience kept many from joining in. With a general lull in the set dancing classes for the summertime, we announced an eight-week series of classes at the pub on Monday nights. We were pleasantly surprised to find so many from the surrounding communities show up for the first night of classes.

We worked on the footwork and steps for The Connmara Reel Set [links to instructions and videos] and managed to get through the set, with a little help from our friends PJ, Peggy, and Maureen. Thanks, guys!

Tonight we're on to The North Kerry Set to demonstrate more set dancing footwork and dance moves like the polka, hornpipe, "show the lady," and the "four ladies chain." Having been a teacher in one of my prior lives, I understand the importance of a lesson plan and, as always, I am reminded that the best way to learn something well is to teach it. Looking forward to lesson two tonight.

Boston Set Dancers Drafted for New Irish Play

The Irish-American community around Boston is eagerly awaiting the new Irish play by Ireland's Tommy Marren of Mid-West Radio based in County Mayo, The Banshee of Crokey Hill. Irish set dancers were happy to co-operate when asked to participate in the kitchen hooley scenes in this 3-act play.

Dancers from Sally Harney's Comhaltas Watertown group and Frank Keane's Harrington's group in Wakefield will dress in West of Ireland '70's attire to welcome the neighbors' son returning to Ireland after being away in Manchester, England, as the drama unfolds around them.

Boston's Larry Reynolds (video with Larry joined by concert flute player Mike Rafferty and button accordionist Tara Lynch, originally from Corofin, Co. Clare. ) and friends provide the traditional Irish tunes for the kitchen session. The play also features the renowned Brian Cunningham (take a sneak peek at this amazing video), Sean-Nos dancer from Connemara.  

"There is an exceptional ‘hooley’ scene that includes a breath-taking display of brush-dancing (an old Irish dance done with a sweeping brush!) by Brian Cunningham from Connemara in County Galway and traditional musician that will warm the hearts of the audience!"


The Banshee of Crockey Hill will be presented Friday & Saturday, June 26th & 27th at 8PM and Sunday, June 28th, at 3PM at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA (directions).

Post Script: Link to some "Banshee" photos and a video on the Irish Set Dancing social network:

Photo Album: Backstage Photos of  The Banshee of Crokey Hill - Boston Performance

Photo Album: "Off Broadway" Photos of The Banshee of Crokey Hill - Broadway in Arlington MA

Video: Boston Sean-Nos Dancer Hughie's Stage Debut at Sunday Performance

A Little Rain Falls on Siege of Ennis

It rained in Ennis (surprise) but it didn't seem to dampen the spirits much for the Special Olympics fundraiser. Around 6,000 people turned out to dance The Siege of Ennis. Watch the video.

Here's how the dance is done professionally; it's nice, but it's much more fun with a big crowd of people.

These are the study notes with detailed instrctions on how to dance it: "Two couples line up facing two couples in lines of four ..."

It's a ceili dance but is often danced as well by set dancers.

My First "Gathering" in Killarney

After five years of set dancing, I figured I should be able to keep up with the dancing at The Gathering in Killarney, so I gave it a try. There was a group going from Boston and a couple of Harrington's dancers looking for roommates, so I booked my flight in October for the February 2009 event at the first sight of Aer Lingus's winter sale. We eventually settled on accommodations at the Gleneagle River Apartments (see travel tips for The Gathering) , which were excellent.

The fun began on Wednesday night. A group of us headed into town to dance to the Johhny Reidy Ceili Band at the Grand Hotel. The tempo was brisk. The night was fun. The small crowd of likely regulars was welcoming. The Gathering organizers sponsored an optional ceili and pub session in a nearby town.

 The activity was non-stop after that, starting with the school outreach program Thursday morning (a rewarding experience) and enhanced by a couple of independent excursions on Thursday and Friday afternoons. Set dancing ceilis on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon and sean-nos and set dancing workshops on Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning filled in most of my schedule, but there were music concerts and pub sessions that I didn't want to miss - so I got very little sleep from then on. It was truly amazing.

Sunday afternoon' set dance workshop was on the Melleray Lancers Set (video posted on IrishSetDancing.ning.com  by Peter Jackson) - see set dancing notes - also known as the Waterford Lancers, from County Waterford, Ireland.

Our unofficial mini-group guide (see Frank's account of his Gathering experience) took us to a night of set dancing with the regulars at Vaughn's Barn in Kilfenora on Sunday night. In contrast to the hordes of people at The Gathering, this was very homey - the floor was full of set dancers dancing to the fabulous Four Courts Ceili Band.

All in all the trip was a nice blend of local charm, friendly faces, and Irish music and dance extravaganza.

Follow-up note May 2009: Vaughan's Pub now has its own website at http://www.vaughanspub.ie/
View a great video of set dancing at Vaughan's Pub on YouTube.

Killarney, The Gathering 2009

Just returned from the 2009 Gathering. Of the three years I have attended, this was the best yet. Dancing started in Killarney on Wednesday to the fast paced pokers from the Johnnie Reidy Band. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqwCKuMF_sw

This was followed by the annual trip to the schools as part of the community outreach program on Thursday.This year was different in that we had 8 set dancers, 6 musicians, ( four of them from France) and one French Sean Nos style dancer with blazing feet.

Thursday afternoon we were treated to a tour of the Black Valley by a friend who grew up in Dingle

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Thursday's Ceili music was provided by Micheal Sexton and Pat Walsh.

Friday during the day, we drove to Cobh in Cork to visit some relatives as well as tour the port where the "Coffin Ships" departed during the famine















Friday night we had the Brian Boru Ceili Band. As much as we thought the first three bands were terrific, the music provided by the Allow Ceili Band on Saturday was over the top. I think there were twelve instruments, all playing an uptempo style of music.  When we did the Clare Lancers figure with the 4 and 4, all 800 dancers were linked arm in arm, a sight I will never forget.

The dance floor was filled with set dancers from 8 to 80, young competition ready dancers with flying feet, old smoothies, and the ever present Kerry Crazies, all having great craic.

Matt Cunningham finished the weekend's set dancing. I can only hope that he plays the same speed when he comes to Watertown in May

Sunday PM we jumped in the car and drove to Doolin, picked up another friend, and then drove to Kilfenora, to set dance to the Four Courts Ceili Band in the Mecca of Set Dancing, Vaughan's Barn.