Classes, Past Classes

08 2025 – Wed | 6:30-8pm PST | Sean-nós Dancing the Tune

intro

Intro


  • Class 1 – July 9 – Bobby Gardiner – Triplets
  • Class 2 – July 16 – Kitty Lie Over
  • Class 3 – July 23 – Steps by sounds
  • Class 4 – Aug 13 – Hip Drums
  • Class 5 – Aug 20 – Review & Routine Creation
  • Class 6 – Aug 27 – Fine Tune the Routine


routine

Classes, Past Classes

M/W/F | 7:30am PST | Dance by Ear | 2025 July

intro

Intro

The month of July we will continue to explore dancing by ear and learning tunes in our feet. I will also be including practice drills that are aimed to build skill and exapnd your dancing by ear abilities.

MondayWednesdayFriday
7:30amWoodshedKeep Her LitSpeed & Craic
Week 1 – Reels
The Cavan Reel / Sporting Nell / Rattigan’s (reels) by Mary MacNamara
July 7July 9July 11
Week 2 – Polkas
John Walsh’s / Upperchurch / Muirisin Durkan
Bobby Gardiner
July 14July 16July 18
Week 3 –
July 21July 23July 25
Week 4 –
July 28July 30 – NO CLASSAug. 1 – NO CLASS

week 1

Tune

  • The Cavan Reel / Sporting Nell / Rattigan’s (reels) by Mary MacNamara

Steps & Vocabulary

  • Shuff-le backs – 3 of them
  • Stuff-les – singles
  • Hips
  • Starting the step by shifting where you start with each movement of the step.

Woodshed

Learn and woodshed the tune and steps

Keep Her Lit

Speed & Craic

Play and improve with material and dance at various tempos.

Bobby Gardiner – County Clare

week 2

Tune

Woodshed

Polka founcatinoal steps.

  • 123’s (ornimation – heel brush, toe tap)
  • 1 2 123’s (ornimation – heel brush, toe tap)
  • Slide 123 (ornimation – heel brush, toe tap)
  • Nellies Polka – Preston
  • Nellies Polka – Keep Her Lit


Keep Her Lit


Speed & Craic

week 3

Tune

Bohola – YouTube Clip
Bohola is one of my favorite bands, and I completely fell in love with this album. It’s a bit hard to find—I’ve looked on their website, and it’s not currently for sale—but I’ll keep searching in case any of you want to purchase a copy.

This album also inspired a step that Ronan and I recorded on our DVD, which we ended up calling “The Bohola Step.”

Woodshed

Learn and woodshed the tune and steps

Keep Her Lit

Review tune of the week and dance past tunes


Speed & Craic

Play and improve with material and dance at various tempos.

week 4

Tune

Woodshed

Learn and woodshed the tune and steps

Classes, Past Classes

6:30pm | Tuesday Summer Sets

intro

Playlist for the term:

Harvest

The Harvest Dance Set – Composed by Edwina Guckian

Merchant

Merchant Set – Composed by Pádraig & Róisín McEneany

Kilfenora Plain

Kilfenora Plain Set – This link has more details about this dance and a direct link to each figure if you just want to watch one at a time or go directly to one.

Classes, Past Classes

June 2025 | Dance By Ear

intro

Intro

The month of June we will continue to explore dancing by ear and learning tunes in our feet.

Youtube playlist – I made a youtube playlist as not everyone has spotify or Apple Music. Please add tunes to this list. If you have a tune or a version of one of the tunes we have been working on that you like, please add it to the whole list here and we can all use the track.

MondayWednesdayFriday
7:30amWoodshedKeep Her LitSpeed & Craic
Week 1
The Green Groves of Erin / Burnes
June 2June 4June 6
Week 2
An Spailpín Fánach/Step it out Joe
June 9June 11June 13
Week 3
Polly Put the Kettle on
June 16June 18June 19
Week 4
New Mown Meadow
June 23June 25June 27
NO CLASSJune 29-NO CLASS

week 1

Tune

Steps & Vocabulary

Woodshed

Learn and woodshed the tune and steps

Keep Her Lit

Speed & Craic

Play and improve with material and dance at various tempos.

week 2

Tune

Woodshed

Learn and woodshed the tunes and steps


Keep Her Lit

Review tune of the week and dance past tunes

Speed & Craic

Play and improv with material and dance at various tempos.

week 3

Tune

Woodshed

Learn and woodshed the tune and steps

Keep Her Lit

Review tune of the week and dance past tunes


Speed & Craic

Play and improve with material and dance at various tempos.

week 4

New Mown Meadow

Woodshed

Learn and woodshed the tune and steps

Keep Her Lit

Review tune of the week and dance past tunes

Speed & Craic

Play and improve with material and dance at various tempos.

Classes, Past Classes

2025 May | 7:30 AM | M,W,F | Dance by Ear

intro

MondayWednesdayFriday
7:30 AM PSTDance by Ear
Learn the tune
Dance by Ear
Keep Her Lit
Woodshed & build steps
Dance by Ear
Speed & Craic

wild night

  • Many a Wild Night – This tune is from a set that Sliabh Notes plays. Sliabh Notes is Matt Cranitch (fiddle), Dónal Murphy (accordion), and Tommy O’Sullivan (guitar). The set is: Many a wild night / John Walsh’s polka / Daly’s mill. The Daly’s Mill is in the spring student showcase file as well.
  • In our class recording I ment to be talking about this tune as the Sliabh Notes set of tunes that Portland has been playing. Also Desi Wilkinson is not in this band he is in the band Cran – which I also used for teaching for years and around the sametime that I was working with the Sliabh Notes album. I discovred both of these albums when I was in Ireland studying for my masters and both Matt and Dessie were around the college doing their PhD work at the same time I was there. Chemo brain at it best, sorry about that!
  • Cran – Black Black Black – 1998
  • Sliabh Notes – Gleanntán – 1999
  • Both of these albums were my go to albums during that time and when I fist started teaching Sean-nós in America in 1999.

Many a Wild Night – Here is a rought rhythmic layout of the tune.

A PARTA PARTB PARTB PART
A1A1A1A1
2222
3333
4444
A5A5A5A5
6666
77B7B7
8888


blackthorn


The Blackthorn Stick

Here is a rough outline of the rythmic patterns in the tune. Even though there are higher notes and other things happening with the tune I am seeing 4 rythmic paterns that are repeated and are the start of creating simple steps with this pattern. As we play more with the tune we will hear more and add more varation in tone to match the tune.

A PARTA PARTB PARTB PART
A1A1C1C1
2222
B3B3D3D3
4444
A5A5A5A5
6666
B7B7B7B7
8888


trip

Trip to Sligo – download tune

Learn the tune

Keep Her Lit

Speed & Craic

congress

The Congress Reel – download tune


torrid romance

Learning is at the end of class I think

concertina

Concertina Reel – Learning is a the beginning of class.

Learn / Woodshed

Keep Her Lit

Camps, Classes, Irish Sean-nós Dance, Irish Set Dancing, Past Classes

2025 | April 13-19 | Spring Dance Intensive

resources

Files & recordings

Links

sets

Set Dancing

Sets

Steps

sean-nós

Classes, Past Classes

Mon April 7th | 6:30 pm | Fiddle Harp Feet Workshop #3

intro

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

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

Maids of Ardagh

Concertina reel

review

  • Waltz – review waltzes from the first workshop
  • Jig – review jigs from the second workshop
    • Priest in his Boots / Hudie Gallagher’s Jig
    • The Blackthorn Stick / Trip to Sligo (Dm version)

Classes, Irish Sean-nós Dance, Irish Set Dancing, Past Classes

Woodshed Clare Battering

Aidan

Aidan videos

Aiden Vaughan 0-80

Aiden Vaughan 80-100


Mick

Mick’s Dance at home step (AKA $500 step)


all