Dance Your Way Across Ireland with Elizabeth MacDonald

Discover the many styles of traditional Irish dance in this fun, half-day workshop. In this dance tour of Ireland, you’ll sample a variety of styles, both social and solo, and be treated to plenty of stories along the way. From Donegal two-hand dances and Clare square sets to “sean-nós” — an easy-to-learn, fun-to-do, old style of step dance — you’ll come away with an appreciation of Ireland’s rich dance history, along with a good few moves and steps to show your friends.

No prior dance experience required, just a pair of comfortable, smooth-soled shoes and a sense of humour!

SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

No prior dance experience necessary

Registration: $80
Group rate: $70 (3+ people)
Family Ceili: $15 (per child, $20 for two. However, 1 child may join for free per parent or guardian that is registered for the afternoon session)

Class Capacity: 16

MORE INFO

This workshop will proceed in two parts to make sure everyone is welcomed into this fun experience! It is welcome, but not required to partake in both parts.

An Irish Family Ceili: 10:00-11:30am

Designed for ages 5-12, Elizabeth will introduce children to Irish culture through easy-to-learn social dances done in circles and lines, and done to different kinds of tunes; e.g. polkas, jigs, or reels. Several of the dances have enjoyable, easy clapping sequences, and footwork lessons.
Please ensure that children are accompanied by an adult, as the focus is on intergenerational fun (older siblings ~13+ are also welcomed to supervise youngsters).

Learn to Dance like the Irish: 1:30-3:30pm

Elizabeth will take participants through a sample from each social tradition: circle, line, two-hand, square and ceili, plus a few sean-nos steps at the end. It will include bits of dance history for context and videos to help the visual learners, and folks would come away with an overview of Irish dance.
Elizabeth is a very experienced teacher and will adjust the content and pace as need be depending on the group’s interests and abilities.
The recommended age bracket for this session is anyone aged 16 and above.