Category: Tea Time Talks

Aleks has been involved with Irish Dancing in Serbia for more than 10 years now – mostly with Erin’s Fiddle. As the scene was developing, he ended up creating the concepts for and co-directing two shows for the troupe and, through his closeness to the emerging session scene, becoming the first sean-nós dance teacher in the country. The story of the Irish Music and Dancing scene in Serbia involves merely a couple Irish people, so the way it grew is very different from the usual stories and Aleks has stories for days about how that happened in such an unlikely place.

Emma O’Sullivan

Multi instrumentalist Joe Root joins our tea time talk. Joe plays piano, button accordion, melodeon and piano accordion. He plays Irish, french, Brazil and more. A fixture in the dance community playing for dancers in Salem and Portland.

Poet, chef, dance, musician and father, join our tea time talk with Phil Meehan. Phil has served on the board of the Portland Ceili Society as well as the CCE Mícheál Ó Domhnaill Branch. Know for bring joy to the dance floor. He has been a fixture in the Portland Irish music and dance community for the last 30 years. Still stepping it out on tables at 77 years old! How does it do it?

Years ago I met fiddler Joanne Ward! We meet at a gig in Limerick. My dance partner and I were asked to play at a benefit gig in town and he had a conflicting event and sent Joanne to play the gig with me. The two of us had never play together and met early to rehearse. WOW! It was one of the most musical and dance connections I’ve ever had. Her since of rhythm and playing for dance is amazing!

I’ve asked Joanne to join our tea time talk to share her story as well as talk about her grandfathers Limerick style of fiddling and playing for dance.

Let’s talk teaching and performing online. Have a tips, tricks or hacks that you’ve figured out? Join us to share, learn and chat.

This week we talk zoom. The limitations, pushing the limits and explore possible future ideas for teaching and performing on zoom.

Abigail Weisenbloom is a Portland based house concert promoter. She has been hosting house concerts since 2009. She has hosted 100’s of concerts for folks musicians and dancers. In our folk tradition house concerts are a key in creating community and venues for small and large traditional artists. Abbie has created an amazing concert series.

Dale Russ joined us this week. We talked about music, practicing, timing and more. Dale has an online course for anyone interested in Irish fiddle. It can be found at Peghead Nation.

Martin Hayes’ assessment of Dale Russ as “one of the greatest fiddlers I know in Irish traditional music” is shared by all who hear him. Dale has been playing Irish fiddle since his move in 1973 from his native Connecticut to Washington State, where he is now regarded as “the shining jewel of Northwest fiddle players.”

Dale taught for 15 years at the Lark in the Morning Summer Camp in Mendocino, California, and he has taught and performed at many other workshops and music camps, including the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington, and the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina. He has also played for ceilis, set dances, and dance competitions.

This week we examine the various learning styles when it comes to teaching and learning dance.

I first met Del at Lark Camp and we instantly connected. A great story teller, thinker, drummer and drum maker. I have asked him to join our tea time talk to explore drumming. Del has been playing drums for nearly 50 years. 

In many of our talks as well as discussions we have been talking about getting various tones off our shoes as well as off the surfaces we dance on. As foot percussionist we can learn a lot from drummers and the techniques they use. I’m excited to have Del join our Tea Time Talks. Very excited about this talk. http://delsdrums.com