Author: maldonm

Classes

Stretching & Warm up

maldonm

foam roller

I have been working with a personal trainer and talking to him about sean-nos dancing. I tend to get tight calfs and it band. He has recommended this foam roller routine. I have been doing it before and after I dance and it has been very helpful.

NEVER roll over a joint! You will want to do this in sections. Here’s is my routine for each side. I do the right side and then the left. When you find a knot hold pressure on the spot. If using your body weight is too much many of these can be done with ball on a wall.

  • Hip flexor
  • Quad – in three sections right side, middle, left side
  • Inner thigh
  • Glutes
  • Hami
  • Calf – in three sections right side, middle, left side (I use a ball for this one as the roller is not enough pressure for me. You can always use your other leg on top of the leg you are rolling to get more pressure)

Here are a few videos that I found helpful.

How to roll out your hamstring with a ball and without getting on the floor.

Calf and feet without getting on the floor.

Here’s a Whole Play list for the foam roller.

5-10 min

I follow Yoga with Adriene and I found these videos helpful with my dancing practice.

10-15 min

15-20 min

20-30 min

30-45min

Beginners, Past Classes

Mon. 12pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Absolute Beginners

maldonm

intro

Welcome Absolute Beginners!

This 4 week course covers the fundamentals of Sean-nós dance and introduces students to Irish music. 

Learn how to shuffle and do the Connemara basic step. Get familiar with foot vocabulary from step one. Learn the difference between jigs and reels.  Hear other rhythmic tunes such as polkas, hornpipes and waltzes. With a true beginner approach, learn to step in time with the music and discover the joy of Irish Sean-nós dance.

This course is designed for students with no prior dance experience.

Welcome to your sean-nós dance practice!

class 1

The first class we learn jigs. Jigs are in 6/8 time.

Class 1 – Jig

class 2

Class 2 Polkas

Music Resource page | All Tune types

Polka Resource Page

  • Warm up – polkas
  • Vocabulary/Tricks
    • Kick up
    • Heel kick/click
    • Step, heel, hold
    • Side step
  • Song – Tell Me Ma

class 3

Class 3 Reels

class 4

Class 4 Waltz

  • Vocabulary
    • Basic Step
    • Simple heel
    • Ending Step
  • Song – Cockles and Mussels

resources

All Steps Covered in this course:

Helpful Recourses on the site:

Kid Songs:

Past Classes

Tues. 5pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Set Dance | Battering

maldonm

intro

We will continue to work with Clare battering steps. We will work with Clare sets and incorporate battering steps while learning or refreshing on popular Clare set dances. The focus of the first 3 classes will be dancing at home. We will drill Mick and Aidan’s dance at home steps.

class 1

Class 1 – Dance At Home with Mick’s Banner Step

  • Intros
  • Warm up
  • Basics – 4
    • Smooth traveling step
    • Smooth advance & retire
    • Smooth house
    • Smooth dance at home
  • Step
  • Practice
    • In place

We will be working towards dancing these steps in the plain set. We didn’t get there tonight, but you can check out where we are headed.

class 2

Class 2 – Dance At Home with Mick’s $500 Step

5pm PST | 6pm MST | 7pm CST | 8pm EST on ZOOM Class | Battering: the second class we will cover Mick’s $500 Battering step. We will work on dancing at home with this step and review Mick’s Banner step and the Clare Battering step. Our goal is to incorporate 1 or all 3 steps into the Kilfenora Plain Set. This should get us primed for the Thursday night class where Phil Meehan will lead us in the Kilfenora set. 

  • Warm up
  • Basics – 4
    • Smooth traveling step
    • Smooth advance & retire
    • Smooth house
    • Smooth dance at home
  • Step
    • Mick’s $500 Step
    • Right Lead (Lady)
    • Left Lead (Gent)
    • Shuffle vacation or heel toe heel drop
  • Practice
    • In place
    • Home
  • Set: Kilfenora Plain Set
  • Review
    • Mick’s Banner Step
    • Clare Battering Step

class 3

Class 3 – Dance At Home with Aidan’s Step

  • Warm up
  • Basics – 4
    • Smooth traveling step
    • Smooth advance & retire
    • Smooth house
    • Smooth dance at home
  • Step
  • Practice
    • In place
    • Home
  • Set: Caledonian

class 4

Class 4 – Mick’s Advance & Retire Step

  • Step
    • Mick’s Advance & Retire
    • Right Lead (Lady)
    • Left Lead (Gent)
  • Practice
    • Slow, Med, Fast

class 5

All steps thus far:

  • Mick Banner
  • Mick $500
  • Aidan
  • Clare Batter
  • Mick Advance & Retire

class 6

resources

All the Videos for this term!

Past Classes

Thurs. 12pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Old-Style

maldonm

intro

We will build on Joe O’Donovan’s hornpipe steps and continue to add to our repertoire of old-style hornpipe steps.

class 1

Class 1:

  • Lead Out
  • Toe Clicks

The first step “toe clicks” that I teach in the class I taught wrong somehow. I will review my notes and re-record the step the correct way. The correction for the toe click step is in the woodshed video below.

3pm PST | 4pm MST | 5pm CST | 6pm EST on ZOOM Woodshed | Old-Style We will woodshed the lead out step and the heel click step. I messed up teaching the click step last week. We will correct the step during the woodshed.

class 2

Class 2:

  • Murary’s #1

12pm PST | 1pm MST | 2pm CST | 3pm EST on ZOOM Class | Old-Style The second class we will continue to learn steps from the dancing of Joe O’Donovan and his repertoire. This class covers Freddy Murray’s #1.

3pm PST | 4pm MST | 5pm CST | 6pm EST on ZOOM Woodshed | Old-Style Murray’s #1 Woodshed

Sorry about the poor quality video, for reference only. I thought you’d like to see Joe himself dancing the Murray #1 step.

Here is a clip of Joe dancing the step:

Here is a clip of Joe breaking down the step:

class 3

Winter 2

  • Murary’s #2

Woodshed | Murray’s #2

https://youtu.be/k_azUyKYqsY

class 4

class 5

Winter 2

  • Lead Out
  • Murary’s #1
  • Murrary’s #2

class 6

resources

Winter 2 Hornpipes

  • Lead Out
  • Toe Clicks
  • Murary’s #1
  • Murrary’s #2
  • #1 Kenifick’s
  • #2 Kenifick’s