Author: maldonm

This week we examine the various learning styles when it comes to teaching and learning dance.

I first met Del at Lark Camp and we instantly connected. A great story teller, thinker, drummer and drum maker. I have asked him to join our tea time talk to explore drumming. Del has been playing drums for nearly 50 years. 

In many of our talks as well as discussions we have been talking about getting various tones off our shoes as well as off the surfaces we dance on. As foot percussionist we can learn a lot from drummers and the techniques they use. I’m excited to have Del join our Tea Time Talks. Very excited about this talk. http://delsdrums.com

From Woody: “Imagine waiting for the dance to start. The caller leaps onto the stage and shouts “Take Hands Four!” or “Square up!” with such enthusiasm and flair that the room becomes electric. There is so much excitement in the caller’s voice. You grab your partner, rush to the floor, form up sets — excited, thrilled, expectant…

That’s what I try to convey when I call – that this dance, this evening with our friends, is the most exciting thing we can do, and that this is the very best place to be in the world.”

This week we will talk about calling for dances. Over the last 25 years I have developed a system for calling that works well for me. This week I will share some of the tips, tricks and techniques that I use for calling. I’ll share how I plan an evening of calling Céilí dances, calling Set dances and calling for both in the same event. If you have any questions, thoughts, tips or tricks please bring them to share. 

10/14 Irish Solo Set Dances 

Solo Irish set dances, not to be confused with Irish set dancing, are solo dances performed to a set tune. Examples are the Blackbird (hornpipe), St. Patrick’s Day (jig) and Job of Journeywork (hornpipe). 

10/07 Irish Step Dance

Curious about Irish step dance? How are Old-style step dance, sean-nos dance and Irish step dance different? How are they the same?

Christina White joins our tea time talk to talk about Irish step dance and the Oregon Irish Dance Academy a Non-Competitive Irish Dancing school based in Portland, Oregon. 

Guest: Christina White of Oregon Irish Dance Academy

06 Tea Time Talks | Creating a Home Studio 9/30/2020

We built an amazing sprung dance floor at the Stomptown Collective Dance Studio. I could dance for eight hours on that floor and not feel any discomfort.  Other floors could cause problems in the first hour. I will go into detail about how we built the floor. Has anyone else experienced building a dance floor?  Do you want to build a home or garage studio? We will address all your questions. 

05 Tea Time Talks | Costuming for Performance 09.23.2020

Looking for costumes for performing? Costuming ideas for the solo dancer and dance groups. We examine custom made costumes, store bought costumes and creative fixes. Historical costuming, traditional costumes and modern costumes. Do you have any costume ideas to share?

Special Guest: Amber Milmore

I made a youtube playlist of the artists mentioned in our tea time talk. When ever possible I used a youtube track from one of their albums, if they didn’t have an album on youtube I used a video clip. The playlist is in order of when the artist was mentioned the tea time talk.

Notes & Links to accompany the talk:

• Johnny O’Halloran “Buy why, Johnny?” CD
• Andrew McNamara “Dawn” CD
• Johnny Connolly – Any CD
• Johnny B Connolly
• Seamus Egan In Your Ear 
• Angelina Carberry & Martin Quinn
• Shannon Dunne 
• Dance Sean-nos – Tom Dorherty 
• Verena Cummings & Julie Langan CD Fonnchaoi
• Caitlín Nic Gabhann
• Frankie Gavin Frankie Goes to Town
• Liz Caroll
• Train | Liz Carroll, Bill Mccomisky & Dáithí Sproule (one of my favorite bands!)
• Eavesdropper – Jackie Daily & Kevin Burke
• The Suffering Gales
• John Carty “Yeh, That’s All It Is”
• Martin Hayes “Martin Hayes”
• Feis the App
• Colm Murphy “An Bodhrán”
• Paddy Keenan Long Grazing Acre
• Sliabh Notes – Matt Cranitch (fiddle), Dónal Murphy (accordion), and Tommy O’Sullivan (vocals, guitar). Their cd has some great dance tracks.
• Joey Abarta
• Cran
• Noel Hill
• John Williams  
• Dancing to Lilting
• Maggie Pickens · Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy
• Maggie Pickens – Len Graham
• Lilting – Black rogue 

We ended the zoom with a poem from my dad.

Group Therapy, by Phil Meehan

     Yawi, (Aztecan) to go, to travel through space

     YAWI, young, attractive, white, intelligent. Acronym used to describe clients in a successful psychiatric practice.

I can say of self to be much traveled, list the myriad ways I’ve capsized

And came up roses. That is the work of the gods.

I am older than I look, one day beggar, next day lord, my tricks can dupe

A multitude. I am Greek unless I am not.

That too is god’s work: a Caucasian Christ, my countryman. My self-love

Walks on an ice pond, if it cracks you hand me a bathrobe,

Call me saint. I love the gods that made me you, we all could be chosen.

I am called wily, one trick pony, the wooden horse,

How I can love and leave and get back all I have lost, except for crew:

Those casualties of a lower caste, the king’s ransom that I be king.

I am Odysseus, a prince among men, wherever I go, I come home again.

03 Tea Time Talks | Dance Shoes & Wooden Taps 09.09.2020

Shoes, shoes, shoes! You’ve been asking and here is your answer! This video will provide information on the various types of shoes used for traditional Irish dance, as well as what materials they are made from. This could have been an all day zoom, but alas we only have an hour. We talk about dance shoes. Which shoes do you use for set dancing, sean-nós, old-style step dance and more? What about the best materials: metal taps, wooden taps, neolite, leather, plastic? Who is making wooden taps?