Category: Past Classes

Past Classes

2023 October | 10:30am Wed | Old Style Step Dance | St. Patrick’s Day

maldonm

intro

Welcome Step Dancers!

Discover the roots of modern Irish step dance with old-style step dance. This traditional style, distinct from sean-nós dance, will be familiar to experienced step dancers. In old-style step dance, each step is performed for eight bars, alternating between the right and left foot. In this course, we will focus on learning St. Patrick’s Day, a captivating set dance. Set dances are known for their unique rhythmic patterns, with varying bar counts that add an intriguing twist to the music. St. Patrick’s day has an 8 bar first part and a 14 bar second part.

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

  • Frist Step
  • First Set
  • Second Step
  • Second set
  • Finishing Step
St. Patrick’s Day, whole tuneDownload

Michael Tubridy’s Book A selection of Irish Traditional Step Dances – This whole book is available free of charge. The videos that accompany this book are also on youtube now. Michael created a notation system and had the sheet music as well as the dance notation and words for the steps written in the book.

week 1

Week 1

Frist Step

Shuffle Down Shuffle Down Shuffle Down Shuffle Down Shuffle hop treble hop back hop out hop out

hop down kick hop down shuffle down tip heel down shuffle hop treble hop back hop back 2 3 4

St. Patrick’s Day, A partsDownload

week 2

Week 2

Frist Set

Hop hop back tip down down tip down down shuffle down tip heel down tip down down tip down down

back down kick hop down shuffle down top heel down shuffle hop treble hop back

shuffle down tip heel down tip down down tip down down tip down down kick hop down

hop right left right shuffle down shuffle down shuffle hop treble hop back hop back 2 3 4

St. Patrick’s Day, B partsDownload

Practice tips

  • Listen to the B part and sing, hum or speak the steps without dancing
  • Using the Amazing Slowerdowner, YouTube or another app that slows music down and dance the B part only until you can dance it at the speed of the recording without mistakes. If you are using YouTube there are several recordings of the tune the tune. Quite a few with the bpm listed. The best one in terms of quality of playing is: Cover the Buckle.
  • Drill just small parts of the dance that you are struggling with.
  • Next step: download the whole tune (found in the intro tab) and dance the 1st sep and the 1st set together.

week 3

Week 3

2nd Step

week 4

Week 4

2nd Set

Finishing step

more lessons

Woodshed | St. Patrick’s Day
1-22-21 Winter 1 Keep Her Lit Old-style St. Patrick’s Day
Playlist | St. Patrick’s Day

Irish Sean-nós Dance, Old-Style Step Dance, Past Classes

2023 June | Thu 6pm | Hornpipes!

maldonm

intro

We will explore hornpipes, both traditional old style and Sean-nos inspired steps. Over the month each of will work on creating our own steps and style for dancing to hornpipes.

week 1

WEEK 1 | Class notes

week 2

WEEK 2 | Class notes

week 3

WEEK 3 | Class notes

Week 3. Find a tune that you like dancing to and put steps to the tune. Hornpipe steps, reel steps, jig or slide steps. You can create steps or create a routine or just improv to the tune.

week 4

WEEK 4 | Class notes

week 5

resources

Classes, In Person Set Dance, Irish Set Dancing, Past Classes

2023 April | Saturday 4pm | Set Dancing [IN-PERSON]

maldonm

intro

The month of April we will be learning sets from Connemara.

Irish Set Dancing

Saturday 4-6pm

Waverly United Church of Christ

3300 SE Woodward St, Portland, OR, United States, Oregon

$10 general, $5 students

Last Saturday Céilí ~ 4-7 ~ Live Music

week 1

WEEK 1 | Class notes

Saturday April 1, 2023

Our set of the week is: The Connemara Set

Footwork for the Connemara. The Connemara step and the stamp and stamp step. The stamp and stamp step can help you travel when you are first starting out it might be hard to travel across the floor and I find this step easer to move further. I used it for years until I was able to dance the Connemara step fully.

Connemara Set

The Connemara set is a nice 4 figure set. The first sides are on the right of first tops.

We reviewed the Seit Doire Cholmcille (Derry Set). We covered this dance in February. Videos and instructions can be found on the February class page under the week 1 tab.

We also danced 3 figures of the Inis Oirr Set.

week 2

WEEK 2 | Class notes

Sat. April 8, 2023

Set of the Week: The Claddagh Set

This another Connemara set. It was taught by Seamus O Meoloid a great set dancer and Sean-nós dancer. The set was revived in Ráth Chairn, Co. Meath. There is a Gaeltacht in Ráth Chairn.

“n 1935 a number of families from the Connemara Gaeltacht were transplanted east to Ráth Chairn to live on land acquired by the Land Commission. It continues today as a thriving Gaeltacht, where Irish is spoken and its traditions embraced through dance and music.” from Ireland XO.

My hope is to keep working on this set and have become one of Portland’s regular dances.

If there is time we will review the Connemara and The Derry set.

week 3

WEEK 3 | Class notes

Sat. April 15, 2023

Our set of the week is: Foraer a Neaintín (Connemara Jig)

If there is time we will review the Claddagh set.

Week 4

WEEK 4 | Class notes

Sat. April 22 2023

Mini Céilí

  • The Connemara
  • Foraer a Neaintín (Connemara Jig)
  • Inis Oirr
  • Claddagh Set

We might not get to them all but we will try.

Quarterly Rambling House

Saturday Rambling House (Bealtaine)

  • Saturday, April 29, 2023
  • 4:00 PM  10:00 PM
  • Waverly UCC (map)

Quarterly CCE open house and fundraising event. Our quarterly Saturday Rambling House returns for an half-day event featuring a General Meeting of the branch followed by instrumental sessions, singing circles, and music & dance workshops. Potluck and full céilí dance to follow! This is a great opportunity to introduce members of the wider Portland community to Irish cultural traditions while bolstering our current MÓD community with convivial conversation, moving music, superb singing, deft dancing, and FOOD!