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2024 February | Old-Style Step Dance

intro

Introducing the Online Class Old-Style Step dance! Get ready to jump, swirl, and tap your way into the intriguing world of traditional Irish dance. This weekly online Irish old-style step dance class is the perfect opportunity for dancers of all levels to indulge in their passion for dance and embark on an exciting journey like no other.

Join us on Tuesdays as we take you on a delightful adventure of learning new steps at a nice handy pace. Whether you are a seasoned dancer or a beginner, our expert instructors will guide you through every move with patience and expertise. Don’t worry about missing a session – all classes are recorded, allowing you to dance to your heart’s content at any time that suits you best.

Now, let’s dive into Wednesdays, where we woodshed the steps. No, it’s not a mystical dance move, but rather a term embraced by musicians to describe intensive practice sessions before taking their tunes out to a lively session. Here, we’ll practice and fine tune the steps you learned on Tuesday, ensuring that your feet are in perfect harmony with the rhythm of the music.

Thursdays are all about embracing the spirit of “Keep Her Lit.” As the Irish saying goes, keep the tune going, even if you make a few missteps along the way. In this session, we’ll work on the entire dance routine learned thus far, allowing you to immerse yourself in the magic of old-style step dance. So, let your inhibitions go, and let your feet do the talking!

And then comes Fridays, where the energy is high, and the excitement is palpable. Get ready to experience the Speed and Craic session, where we focus on speed, endurance, and most importantly, having an absolute blast. Craic, which loosely translates to fun and a good time, perfectly encapsulates the joyous atmosphere you’ll find here. It’s all about dancing up to tempo, pushing your limits, and reveling in the sheer exhilaration of the dance.

Our signature learning and practice style ensures that you’ll master these mesmerizing dances in just half-hour sessions. Take them live and dance alongside others, or enjoy the flexibility of dancing at your very own leisure. The choice is yours!

Old-style step dance is a treasure trove of Irish cultural heritage, offering a glimpse into an era before Riverdance and modern step dance. With its distinctive lower-to-the-ground style and intricate steps, this magnificent dance form is the perfect choice for those who crave a routine and meticulously mapped-out steps.

So, let your inner dancer leap into action, and join us for the Online Class Old-Style Step dance. Let’s kick, twirl, and shuffle our way through the captivating rhythms of Irish tradition, all while having a ton of fun. Get your dancing shoes ready, because this class is about to take you on a journey you’ll never forget.

  • Tuesdays – Learn steps
  • Wednesdays – Woodshed steps
  • Thursdays – Keep Her Lit
  • Fridays – Speed & Craic

week 1

Welcome Step Dancers!

Old-style step dance, not to be confused with sean-nós dance, is the precursor to modern Irish step dance. If you have step dance experience many steps in this style will be familiar to you. In traditional Old-style step dance each step is danced for eight bars and is danced on the right and left foot. In future courses we will learn set dances which are “crooked” with a variety of bars of music (i.e. 7 1/2 bar phrases). We begin the Old-style step dance series by learning Maggie Pickie. This is the perfect introduction to old-style step dance. Each step has a structure that is repeated four times. Maggie Pickie is considered a set dance meaning there are specific steps to a specific tune. It is not crooked as many set dances are. 

Maggie Pickie or Maggie Pickins is a traditional dance from Donegal. This particular dance is currently experiencing widespread popularity and we love it too.  I first learned Maggie Pickie from Nic Gareiss during a residency that he held at Stomptown Collective Dance Studio in Portland, Oregon. Nic got the dance from Joe McGuiggan. Through several years of performing Maggie Pickie I created a few new steps along the way to go with the traditional dance. I include one of these new steps in the lesson — the Slide step. I hope you will love to dance Maggie Pickins as much as I do. 

Want to get a jump on your learning start here with the full Maggie Pickie Course.

Damhsa áthais sona ort! (Happy dancing to you!)

Tuesday

  • Cross
  • Hop hop flick flick
  • Side step (I taught this wrong :(, the good news is what I taught is very similar to the box step which we will learn on Wednesday) Correct version is here and in the Wednesday video.

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

week 2

Welcome to week 2 where we will learn the Priest in His Boots. I first learned this dance from Ben Power who learned it from James Keane while at the University of Limerick. James danced this a little differently than most dancers today. James danced the 4th step as two different steps with the 4th step being only 8 bars and then going back to the 16 bar structure. We will be learning the Tubridy because the music I have and the music you will be able to find will most likely be for a straight version of the dance. I will demonstrate both versions. If you dance this with live music you can make your choice how you want to dance the piece.

Keep Her Lit – Winter 2021

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

week 3

Week three we will work on St. Patrick’s Day.

Tuesday day 9

Wednesday day 10

Thursday day 11

Friday day 12

week 4

Old Style Step Dance – Hornpipes

Wednesday

cross, heels and drum step

Thursday

Rock & Kick and Cut

Friday

Future Classes, Irish Set Dancing

2024 | Keep Her Lit | Battering for Sets

52 Weeks of Battering for Sets

You have the freedom to choose your desired level for this course or challenge. I will be providing weekly lessons to guide you in learning, and I will also post video lessons for each step. By the end of the year, my aim is for you to have a collection of 52 weeks of Set dance and battering for sets lessons. The approach to this course is entirely up to you – whether you prefer to learn one step per month or per week.

Some of you might be keeping past material lit and some may be learning it for the first time. Where ever you are at we have the support you need.

  • Week 1 – Clare Batter #1
  • Week 2
  • Week 3
  • Week 4
  • Week 5
  • Week 6
  • Week 7
  • Week 8
  • Week 9
  • Week 10
  • Week 11
  • Week 12
  • Week 13
  • Week 14
  • Week 15
  • Week 16
  • Week 17
  • Week 18
  • Week 19
  • Week 20
  • Week 21
  • Week 22
  • Week 23
  • Week 24
  • Week 25
  • Week 26
  • Week 27
  • Week 28
  • Week 29
  • Week 30
  • Week 31
  • Week 32
  • Week 33
  • Week 34
  • Week 35
  • Week 36
  • Week 37
  • Week 38
  • Week 39
  • Week 40
  • Week 41
  • Week 42
  • Week 43
  • Week 44
  • Week 45
  • Week 46
  • Week 47
  • Week 48
  • Week 49
  • Week 50
  • Week 51
  • Week 52
Future Classes

2024 | Keep Her Lit | Irish Old-Style Step & more

52 Weeks of Dances

Join me for 52 weeks of “Keep Her Lit” sessions. We will work through past dances and courses, aiming to perfect the entire dance piece. The objective is to review the material independently and then come together for a session where we will dance the entire performance, from practice to full tempo. Throughout the year, we will have sessions that include multiple dances, similar to a rehearsal. The purpose of these sessions is to enhance endurance and focus on seamlessly integrating a complete performance.

This second part involves the process of rehearsing multiple dances, providing a glimpse into my preparation for a show. It offers an opportunity to perfect each piece, seamlessly transitioning between dance numbers, and building endurance for stage performances.

  • Week 1 – Maggie Pickie
  • Week 2 – Priest in His Boots
  • Week 3 – Maggie Pickie & Priest in His Boots
  • Week 4 – The Blackbird
  • Week 5 – Maggie Pickie, Priest in His Boots & The Blackbird
  • Week 6 – St. Patrick’s Day
  • Week 7 – Maggie Pickie, Priest in His Boots, The Blackbird & St. Patrick’s Day
  • Week 8 – Joe’s Beginner Hornpipes
  • Week 9 – Maggie Pickie, Priest in His Boots, The Blackbird, St. Patrick’s Day & Joe’s Beginner Hornpipes
  • Week 10 – Waltz Clogg
  • Week 11 – Maggie Pickie, Priest in His Boots, The Blackbird, St. Patrick’s Day, Joe’s Beginner Hornpipes & Waltz Clog
  • Week 12 – Walshes Hornpipes
  • Week 13 – Maggie Pickie, Priest in His Boots, The Blackbird, St. Patrick’s Day, Joe’s Beginner Hornpipes & Waltz Clog, Walshes
  • Week 14 – Maurry’s Hornpipes
  • Week 15 –
  • Week 16
  • Week 17
  • Week 18
  • Week 19
  • Week 20
  • Week 21
  • Week 22
  • Week 23
  • Week 24
  • Week 25
  • Week 26
  • Week 27
  • Week 28
  • Week 29
  • Week 30
  • Week 31
  • Week 32
  • Week 33
  • Week 34
  • Week 35
  • Week 36
  • Week 37
  • Week 38
  • Week 39
  • Week 40
  • Week 41
  • Week 42
  • Week 43
  • Week 44
  • Week 45
  • Week 46
  • Week 47
  • Week 48
  • Week 49
  • Week 50
  • Week 51
  • Week 52