In 2008, I was teaching a mixed-level sean-nós dance class at the Milwaukee Summer School.
I divided the class into two groups.
I taught the intermediate and advanced dancers a step to work on, then walked over to help the beginners.
A little while later, I looked across the room.
The intermediate and advanced dancers were all standing still.
Not dancing.
Just standing there.
I knew something had gone wrong.
I wandered back over and began answering questions. As we worked through the step together, I realized what had happened.
I had started by teaching the step correctly.
Then, somewhere in the middle, I had gone in a completely different direction.
The dancers had already spent so much time working on it that I didn’t want to say, “Sorry! Forget all of that. Let’s start again.”
So I didn’t.
Instead, I kept going.
I worked with the mistake and found a way to finish the step from there.
What emerged was a combination of Rónán Regan’s lovely Aer Arann step and the unexpected direction I had taken in the middle. My mistake created offbeat rhythms and shifted the beat in interesting ways.
It became a lovely step of its own.
We named it the Milwaukee Step.
The following year, I showed it to Rónán. By then, it had changed so much that the original step was difficult to recognize.
It was a little like a game of telephone—only played with our feet.
I still dance and teach both steps today.
Mistakes don’t always need to be erased.
The mistake wasn’t the end of the step.
It became the beginning of a new one.
The next time your feet go somewhere unexpected, pause before correcting them.
Listen to what happened.
There might be something interesting inside it.
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I’d love to hear from you.
Have you ever made a mistake that became something better than what you originally planned?
Simply hit reply.
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Watch Rónán dance the Aer Arann step—the original step that took an unexpected turn in Milwaukee.
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This Week
◈ Online
Guided Dance Session
Wednesday, September 9
6:00 PM PT • 7:00 PM MT • 8:00 PM CT • 9:00 PM ET
Join me on Zoom for a guided old-style step and sean-nós dance session. I’ll provide the playlist, and we’ll dance together.
You can dance your own steps or try material you have learned in class. This is a safe place to practice your steps with music.
Keep ’er lit and dance full-out, enjoy the tunes and see what comes out of your feet, or dance one step for the entire session. It is entirely up to you.
This is a chance to bring your steps up to dance speed, play with the music, and see what happens.
Class information, recordings, and practice resources
◈ Open Studio
Monday • Wednesday • Friday
8:30 AM PT • 9:30 AM MT • 10:30 AM CT • 11:30 AM ET • 4:30 PM Ireland
Come practice, ask questions, or simply enjoy practicing alongside others.
◈ Around Portland
Tuesday Steeplejack Céilí
Tuesday, September 8
6:30 PM
Music: Django Amerson
Callers: Maldon, Phil, and perhaps more
Dance List
- Two-Hand Polka
- Ballyvourney
- Caledonian
- Moycullen
- Clare Plain
◈ Around Oregon
Second Friday Céilí
Friday, September 11
Salem, Oregon
◈ Looking Ahead
- Wednesday, September 16 — Step Into Sean-nós Dance: Free Online Workshop
- Friday, September 18 — Third Friday Céilí with Mikey Beglan, Portland, Oregon
Fall classes begin the week of September 21
- Tuesday, September 22 — Introduction to Irish Dance Traditions, Portland
- Wednesday, September 23 — Beginning and Intermediate Sean-nós Dance, online
- Friday, September 25 — Irish Set Dancing Fundamentals: Cork and Kerry, in person
- Saturday, September 26 — Maldon and Amber’s 51st Birthday Céilí
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Until next Monday…
Keep listening.
Keep dancing.
Keep the music alive.
— Maldon
