Author: maldonm

Advanced, Blog, Intermediate

Announcing Winter 2 Term | Feb. 16-March 26

maldonm

No Class Monday Feb. 15th, enjoy the holiday!
Subscribe to the class google calendar. All classes and events are listed there. The calendar can be found here.

Mon. 12pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Absolute Beginners | Reels & Jigs
Tues. 12pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Improvisations | Reels
Tues. 5pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Set Dance | Battering | Clare Reels
Tues. 6pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Beginners | Voice
Wed. 12pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Advanced | Slides
Thurs. 12pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Old-Style | Hornpipes
Thurs. 5pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Sets & Calling | All Tune types
Thurs. 6pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Intermediate | Voice
Fri. 12pm | 2021 Winter 2 | Class | Waltz Clog | Waltz

All Classes, woodshed and keep her lit session are included for one monthly price of $55 per month. Much like a gym membership you can take any class you like live on zoom or via the video replay posted on the class site.

All classes since April 2020 have been recorded and posted in the site. Also included in the site is video recording since 2013 to the present of all material taught at the stoptown collective studio. Something for everyone. The Netflix of Dance! 

Register Here!

Absolute Beginners

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

Mondays [1 hour] 2/22 – 3/15
12pm PST | 1pm MST | 2pm CST | 3pm EST on ZOOM

Beginner & Intermediate

Through song and lilting we will explore dancing to the human voice. Both the beginners class and the intermediate class will be covering the same material. Please feel free to join both classes if you’d like extra accountability.

Tuesdays & Thursdays [1 hour]
6pm PST | 7pm MST | 8pm CST | 9pm EST on ZOOM

Wednesdays & Fridays [30 min]
3pm PST | 4pm MST | 5pm CST | 6pm EST on ZOOM

Advanced

This term we will explore slides. Slides are 12/8 and are a time signature that I first started out dancing as a set dancer. Since then I continue to dance slides in performance. They are not commonly danced solo. Set dancers will also find this class useful. 

Wednesdays [1 hour]
12pm PST | 1pm MST | 2pm CST | 3pm EST on ZOOM

Mondays [30 min]
3pm PST | 4pm MST | 5pm CST | 6pm EST on ZOOM

Improvisations

Each week we will explore improvisational exercise with various reel steps and tunes. We will be working with mapped out steps and how to “play” with the steps. We will explore timing, phrasing, shifting weight, shifting the beat, space, tunes, instrument and musicians. 

Tuesdays [1 hour]
12pm PST | 1pm MST | 2pm CST | 3pm EST on ZOOM

Battering for Set

Clare battering for sets. Covered in this class are dance at home steps, traveling step and advance & retire steps. We will work with Clare sets and incorporate battering steps while learning or refreshing on popular Clare set dances. Keep your set repertoire alive during the pandemic. 

Tuesdays [1 hour]
5pm PST | 6pm MST | 7pm CST | 8pm EST on ZOOM

Sets & Calling for Sets

Whether you are a caller or a dancer this class is for you. You can try your hand at call sets as well as dancing them. Keep your chops up during the pandemic and dance sets with us.

Tuesdays [1 hour]
5pm PST | 6pm MST | 7pm CST | 8pm EST on ZOOM

Keep Her Lit
The Keep Her Lit sessions will be dedicated to drilling material from the website. These sessions are great if you are working off the recorded material or want to drill material from a past course. For the best success with these zooms please review the material covered before attending the session. There will be no teaching just dancing in these sessions. 

You can find all of the steps covered in the routine by clicking on the link. 

The First week of zooms will cover the Acapella jig and reel routines with music as well as without. Friday will combine both routine into a performance piece. Get ready for St. Patrick’s day! 

Tuesday 2/16
Acapella Jig Routine | 100bpm & 120bpm
2pm PST | 3pm MST | 4pm CST | 5pm EST on ZOOM

Wednesday 2/17
Acapella Reel Routine | 80bpm, 100bpm & 120bpm
2pm PST | 3pm MST | 4pm CST | 5pm EST on ZOOM

Friday 2/19
Acapella Jig Routine into Acapella Reel Routine
2pm PST | 3pm MST | 4pm CST | 5pm EST on ZOOM

Week 1 | Spring Term 2020
Acapella Jig & Reel

Week 2 | Summer 1 Term 2020
Connemara, Paraig Ó Haibicín, The Sunday Set, Maggie Pickie

Week 3 | Summer 2 Term 2020
Nellies Polka, St. Patrick’s Day, Up Leitrim/A Tune for Bernie, The Rookery

Week 4 | Fall 1 Term 2020
Clare Inspired, Ti Albion, Blackbird, Triplets

Week 5 | Fall 2 Term 2020
Return of Spring, Little Diamond Polka, Double Time Polkas, Full polka routine

Week 6 | Winter 1 Term 2020
Connemara Jigs, Sunday set as a jig, Connemara jig into reel, Sunday set jig into reel

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!