Sean-nós & Set Dance with Maldon
Specializing in easy to follow step by step instruction for all levels
Fiddle, Harp & Feet Workshop #3
April 7th, 6:30-8:30 pm
Maldon’s studio (2400 NE Alberta St. Upstairs! Look for sandwich boards to find back entrance)
$20 (payable at class, but please pre-register): cash, check or Venmo
Maggie Pickie has many steps. Explore the playlist below. There are videos of each step broken down as well as videos of practicing the whole dance.
Maldon’s Youtube Playlist
Immerse yourself in the rhythm and tradition of Irish dance at our Spring Dance Intensive! This week-long camp is designed for intermediate to advanced dancers eager to deepen their skills in Sean-nós dancing, set dancing, and percussive dance.
📅 Dates: April 13 – April 19
📍 Location: Alberta Arts District, Portland, Oregon
🔹 Daily Schedule:
🔹 Limited Space: Only 10 spots available to ensure individualized instruction and a close-knit experience!
Need a place to stay? A cozy Airbnb hotel next door is hosting some of our students, and I’d be happy to connect you for shared accommodations.
No car needed! Our neighborhood is filled with restaurants, shops, and galleries to enjoy between workshops.
🎶 Bonus Perk: Just four blocks away, a lively Irish pub will be hosting music and activities throughout the week—perfect for winding down after a full day of dancing!
📩 Reserve Your Spot Today! Space is limited, so sign up soon for this unforgettable week of dance, music, and community.
Schedule
| Sun | M | T | W | TH | F | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pipers Session Pub 2pm- 5pm | Breakfast | |||||
| Sean-nós Workshop – 9:00 am – 10::15 am | ||||||
| Steps & Sets Workshop – 10:30 am – 11:45 am | ||||||
| Lunch Break | ||||||
| Sean-nós Workshop – 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm | ||||||
| Tea & treats 3:15-3:45 | ||||||
| Steps & Sets Workshop 3:45 pm -5 pm | ||||||
| Dinner Break | ||||||
| Welcome Session 6:00 pm | Bob Soper 6:00 pm | Mikey Beglan 6:00 pm | Geraldine Murray 6:00 pm | Betsy Branch 6:00 pm | Ceili 7:00 pm Elliot & Glen | Showcase 5pm Betsy Branch Elizabeth Nicholson Maldon Meehan & Students Fiddler’s & Harp Tunes |
| Pub 8:00 pm | Pub 8:00 pm | Pub 8:00 pm | ||||
Only $250 for the whole week. This includes:
What a deal! Limited to only 10 spots.
12:00 – 2:00 pm Wednesdays & Tuesdays 6:30 – 8:30pm
This term we will spend 2 weeks on each of the dancing regions below. There are sets from all over Ireland and now today sets are being revived and newly composed all over the world as well as in Ireland. If you want to see a list of many of the sets booked down by county click here to view the document. This was one of my recent projects and is still a work in progress. It’s very enlightening to see all the sets in one place and to see where they are from and/or who composed them. Each time I look at these I seen new patterns or have new insights. If you see anything please share as a collective community we can seem anythings that will help all of use learn these wonderful dances and traditions.
All registered student are welcome to come to both the day time and the evening classes at no additional cost. We will be dancing different sets in each class. The more the merrier.
Up to you as to how deep you want to dive. Think of this like a yoga class or learning an instrenets. We will learn the foundations and then I will teach ordinations in the form of partner work and turns and footwork. When you are ready you can implant those ordinations but they are not nessary for the enjoyment of the dance. The most important part is that do dance with your partner and your set in a fluid way. We will cover all levels in this class and you can pick and chose. The footwork ornaments or batter will take practice outside of class to master if this is your first time learning it and even if it’s isn’t your first time it take woodshedding the step on your own to get it up to speed before you can implement it into the step. Focus on what you like and what is working for the level your are currently at.
Sets by Counties – This is a document of most of the set dances listed by county. Below is a map of each county so you can get a since of where each dance is from. I never fully understood where these dances came from until I went to Ireland, but then I never looked with this deeper understanding of this context Here’s to you figuring it out faster than I did. This a reference tool for you to help you understand where each county and dances each come from.
In addition to counties, you will also encounter “cultural regions” of dancing. In particular “Connemara” (sets from the west Galway, there are also dances revived from West Meath, Ráth Chairn which have Connemara roots as Connemara people settled in this area and also included in these area are dances from the Aran island sets). These dances are often recored to as having Connemara roots or as revered as Connemara sets). In addition you will see Sliabh Luachura Set (the area where Cork, Kerry and Limerick meet). You will find as you dive deeper, there are sets that were danced in and around the borders of Cork, Kerry and Limerick or other dances that cross borders of counties.
Today, there are many new dances that are composed by people from a particular county or composed in honor of the county. I have included those dances both in the county and the composed section from your reference. There are also dances that have be revived outside of Ireland that are connected to a particular county. Where I have that knowledge I have included them as well. In addition there are sets composed outside of Ireland or revived outside of Ireland that are included. Pat Murphy has done a fantastic job of included these sets in his more recent publications. He currently has 5 publications and they are the most referred to publications of for set dancing.
Other publication are from Larry Lunch, Brooks Academy and other.
Lary’s publication deserves special note here as he collects sets in their local area and included where, who and how they were dance in that county at the time. He book goes into great detail about the dances, people and regain. He also collected many dances before the revival and made a great effort to preserve how the dances were danced at the time. I had the great privilege and the young age of 15 to learn from him and also had opportunities over my dancing to learn from him. He lived in the bay area and the bay area dancers benefited from his knowledge and history. his recorded versions are a time capsule and not always reflected in the dancing today.
I have had the privilege to work with a few pipers who dive deep into the tradition to pipping and have version of tune from Seamus Ennis and Willie Clancey that are not played today, except for pepper “nerds”. I invite you to think about Larrys’ version the same way. They are gems captured in time as our traditions grow with us. Those of you are interested in teaching and preserving these gems deserve special resignation and attention. I caution you to be aware of this and when dancing outside of your area go with the flow and dance what the community you are in is dancing. “read the room” as it were. Each place may have a variation or a difference and go with the flow.
Last term, David asked a great question: “How many moves are there in set dancing?” At the time, I had no idea, but his question inspired me to start a glossary project. This is a work in progress, and I’m excited to film demos of each move to give everyone a better understanding of what they look like, especially since I find it easier to demonstrate than to explain in words.
I’ve just started the project, and here’s a link to the beginning of this huge endeavor: Glossary of Terms. I welcome and appreciate any thoughts or insights you might have. This growing project is about making set dancing more accessible to everyone, and it’s truly a collective effort with many helping hands. I’m grateful for anything you can contribute, whether it’s feedback, questions, or observations – they all help us improve.
Set dancing is a community effort, and everyone has something valuable to offer. My hope is to eventually have a video demo for each move, so please bear with me as it develops. If you’d like to help with the project, feel free to reach out!
Here is my work in progress document of the families
Originally sets were brought over to England, Scotland and Ireland from France. The original dances were the First Set of Quadrilles, the Second Set of Quadrilles and the Third Set of Quadrilles. These dances were taught in the big houses as well as in communities by the dancing masters of the time. Over the years each region adapted the French dances to their traditional music and style. These are the dances you see today.
I am working on a project of putting these dances into their families or original roots. This is something that has helped me remember and recognize dances base on their similarities.
Other paterns
Wendesday Class
Armagh Lancers Set – follow the link to page has videos and instructions.
We will start off with the Armagh Lancers, from the north. Those of you who know the Clare Lancers will notice similaries. Sets that come from the orginal Lancers set tend to have lines in the 2nd and 5th figures and a christmas in the thrid and/or fourth figure. This dance is no exception. I’m also excited about introducing this dance into our community as it’s a lovely jig set and we don’t have very many jig sets in our local repertoire. To see the county on the map of Ireland go to the Irealand tap.
In Pat’s book he as this information about the set “This lovely old set, similar to the Second (Lancer) Set of Quadrilles, was given to me by Aleta Hancok from Los Angeles, who learned it from Patrick O’Dea during his workshop there in April 1999.”.
Those of you who are going to Ireland this summer and learning from Pat Murphy. I have a homework asignment for you, ask Pat about this set. Or if you meet Patrick O’Dea ask him. Do they have any more information? Do they know where in Armagh is it from?
This recording is a video shows the Clare Lancers and the Armagh Lancers side by side so that you can see the similaries and differences between the two dances.
Tuesday Class
Clare Orange and Green Set – from Mullagh, Co. Clare, revived by the Crehan family. Mullagh is not far from Miltown Malbay, where the Willie Clancy Summer School is held every July.
The first week we will dance County Clare dances that have come from the First Set of Quadrilles. You will notice the similarities between these dances and I hope by dancing them in the same week it will help you remember how the figure go as they are often variations of the original movements. If you want to dive into the history I recommend reading Pat Murphy’s introduction in his first book Toss the Feathers.
Week one we will look at dances from the First Set of Quadrilles. Here are a few examples below.
The second week we will dance Clare sets with high gates/face the hob figures. The second and third set of Quadrilles.
Here are examples of dances from this region
Here are examples of dances from this area:
Sliabh Luchra is a cultural region where Cork, Kerry and Limerick all meet. I have listed dances from Cork, Kerry and Limerick. Some of these dances are referred to as Sliabh Luchra dance as they come from that border region.
County Cork
County Kerry
County Limerick
Cavan
Longford
Roscommon
Sligo
Tipperary
Waterford
Dancers from Ireland and beyond have been composing new sets in honor of dancers and regions. Some of these dances I have included in the county for which they were composed.
Newly Composed