2026 Spring Dance Intensive

Rhythm is Everything

April 15–19 | Alberta Arts District | Portland, Oregon

Join us for five immersive days of Irish dance, rhythm, and community in Portland’s vibrant Alberta Arts District.

The 2026 Spring Dance Intensive is designed for dancers who want to deepen their relationship with rhythm — through Sean-nós improvisation, set dance battering, percussive technique, and step creation.

We’ll explore traditional steps from Cavan, Longford, Roscommon, Clare, and Connemara — and then take them apart, reshape them, and rebuild them so they are strong, musical, and danceable at any speed.

Each day includes:

• Two focused workshops
• Technique, rhythm vocabulary & musicality work
• Creation sessions
• Evening opportunities to dance, listen, and connect

We’ll work on:

• Stripping steps down to their essential rhythm
• Adding ornamentation and variation
• Dancing the tune (echoing, layering, shifting emphasis)
• Timing, phrasing, extra beats, crooked steps
• Weight shifting and tone (heel, toe, full foot)
• Layering time signatures (reels over polkas, slides over hornpipes)
• Improvisation, call & response, and dancing off each other

Evenings bring community time — informal practice, connection, and late-night tunes at nearby spots including TC O’Leary’s, just four blocks away.

For Out-of-Town Dancers

Stay right in the neighborhood — no car needed. Restaurants, galleries, cafés, and shared accommodations are within walking distance.

Limited space to ensure personal attention and a close-knit experience.

Reserve your spot:
https://maldonmeehan.com/april-16-19-spring-dance-intensive/

Schedule

	Wed 4/15	Thu 4/16	Fri 4/17	Sat 4/18	Sun 4/19
Morning session 10am		Workshop 1 Sean-nós	Workshop 3 Dancing to songs	Workshop 5 Sean-nós	Workshop 7 Sean-nós
Afternoon session 1:30pm		Workshop 2 Cavan Reel Step	Workshop 4 Longford Reel Step	Workshop 6 Roscommon Reel Step	Workshop 8 Clare Reel Steps
Evening	Welcome Gathering 6:00 pm TC O’Leary’s 2926 NE Alberta St Music 8:00 pm Mikey Beglan	Night of Song Dancing & Songs	Joe Root Memorial Céilí Two Rivers Céilí Band	TBA	TBA

Register for the Spring Dance Intensive

Only $250 for the whole week. Price goes up to $300 on March 2nd, Sign up by March 1st to reviece $50 off. What a deal!

Welcome to Fall Term 2

• Fall Term 1 – We learned
  • Antrim Square Set
  • Kilfenora Plain Set
  • Connemara Reel Set
  • Harvest Dance Set
  • West Kerry
  • Clare Mazurka set
• From term 1 We will keep dancing: Antrim Square Set, Kilfenora Plain Set, Harvest Dance Set
• We will focus on learning these dances:
  • Short: Moycullen, Claddagh, Merchant
  • Long: Lancers

	Set	Steps	Inter/Advanced
Week 1: 11/4	Learn: Long: Lancers (1-5) Short: Moycullen (1-4)	Reel step: up 23’s Polka/Jig Step: Polka step (down23’s) Jig step (down23’s)	Connemara timing step (practice for next week)
Week 2: 11/11	Learn: Short: Claddagh (1-4)	Up 23’s Jig (down 23’s)	Connemara timing step
Week 3: 11/18	Review: Short: Claddagh (1-4) Short: Harvest Dance Set (1-4)	Reel Step: Up 23’s Jig/Polka (down 23’s) up jigs	Connemara timing step
11/21	Céilí @ Waverly Dance List Kilfenora Plain  Merchant  Lancers Moycullen Connemara	Dale & Nell Russ What: 3rd Friday Céilí Who: Band: Dale & Nell Russ, Caller: Maldon Meehan	Where: Waverly, 3300 SE Woodward St, Portland, OR 97202 When: Friday November 21, 7-11pm Cost: $15 general, $5 students, under 12 Free
Week 4: 11/25	Learn: Half set: Kilfenora Plain Set Half Set: Connemara Reel Set		Clare Battering
11/28 Friday November 28 6pm Columbia Ecovillage Condominium 4647 NE Killingsworth St, Portland	Annual Butterball A night of friends, community, family, music, dance and song. Dance List Kilfenora Plain Merchant Ballyvoruney Lancers Connemara Open tunes/dancing (bands choice)	Geraldine Murrary & Friends Dylan Wilde Kevin Grgurich Brian Hart  Amber Milmore Phil Meehan Maldon Meehan	Street Parking only Portland Cost: Donations encouraged, there will be a donation basket at the door
Week 5: 12/2	Review & Fine tune 1-2 of these: Long: Kilfenora Plain Clare Lancers Short: Claddagh Moycullen Antrim Square Harvest Dance Set Practice Calling: Connemara Reel Set		Clare Battering
Week 6: 12/9	Review & Fine tune: Claddagh Uncalled: Connemara Reel Set If time: Kilfenora Plain Clare Lancers Moycullen Antrim Square Set Harvest Dance Set	Connemara Step Clare Battering	Clare Battering
Week 7: 12/16	Prep for the Céilí: Merchant Lancers Ballyvourney Connemara  Caledonian		Clare Battering
12/19	Ceili with Django Amerson & Friends	Dance List Merchant Lancers Ballyvourney Connemara  Caledonian	Where: Waverly, 3300 SE Woodward St, Portland, OR 97202 When: Friday November 21, 7-11pm Cost: $15 general, $5 students, under 12 Free
Week 8: 12/23
Week 9: 12/30

Playlists

• Included on this tab:
  • Spotify Playlist for the Term – A collection of tunes that match the sets we’re focusing on.
  • YouTube Playlist – Recordings and performances of the term’s featured set dances.
  • Lessons & Steps Playlist – Short videos of key movements, techniques, and steps for practice between classes.

Welcome to the Irish Set Dancing Playlists—a collection of resources to help you stay connected with what’s being danced at céilís near and far. Whether you’re preparing for a local dance, a weekend workshop, or a trip to Ireland, these playlists and notes are designed to help you build your repertoire and step confidently into any set.

Please use these resources to help you better understand the material. It’s not necessary to preview them before or after class, but they’re very helpful tools for remembering—and eventually memorizing—the dances.

Over the past three months, I’ve been keeping an eye on the dances that Bill Lynch (Set Dancing News) has been posting on YouTube. From that, I noticed a clear trend in which sets are most often danced. I’ll continue to track these through the Fall and Winter months to see if the dances shift or stay the same.

The goal is to include these popular dances in our 3rd Friday Céilí line up and in class, so that anyone heading to Ireland—or to céilís around the country—will be ready to jump in with confidence and familiarity.

Below is a list of the sets most often danced recently.

Most Danced Sets as of October 2025:

• Connemara
• Merchant
• Moycullen
• Lancers
• Caledonian
• West Kerry
• Sliabh Luachra
• Ballyvourney Jig
• Plain
• Kilfenora
• Claddagh
• Corofin

Danced Less Often:

• South Galway
• Ballyduff
• Cashel
• Mazurka
• Labasheeda

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Céilí Formula

Across the céilís, a common pattern emerged. For a typical three-hour céilí, most programs followed this general flow:

• 3 shorter sets (2–4 figures)
• 3 longer sets (5–6 figures)
• 1–3 couple dances (waltz, jive, or two-step) or a sean-nós dance demo

Many céilís finish with a lively four-figure dance such as the Connemara Set. Usually there are three sets before the break and three after.

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Music & Video Playlists

• Spotify Playlist for the Term – A collection of tunes that match the sets we’re focusing on.
• YouTube Playlist – Recordings and performances of the term’s featured set dances.
• Lessons & Steps Playlist – Short videos of key movements, techniques, and steps for practice between classes.

Spotify Playlist for the Term

Save the playlist on spotify.

YouTube Playlist

Save the playlist on youtube

Lessons & Steps Playlist

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Steps for the term

Connemara sets: Connemara Reel Set, Fréres Nantais (Connemara Jig Set), Claddgha Set, Island Sets: Aran Set (Inis Mór) Inis Meáin Set, Inis Oirr Set (sets by county)

• Connemara (timing step)
• Heel downs

Clare Sets: Clare Orange and Green Set, Clare Plain Reel Set, Corofin Plain Set, Clare Plain Polka Set, Kilfenora Plain Set, Lough Graney Set – Full Set & Half Set, Clare Lancers Set, Caledonian Set, West Clare Caledonian Set, Long Caledonian Set, Labasheeda Reel Set, Clare Mazurka set, Paris Set (Labasheeda area), Ballykeale Set, Lakyle Set (early version of Pairs Set), Meelick Polka Set, Mullagh Half Set

• Clare Batter #1
• Smooth Advance & Retire
• Heel drop Advance & Retire