Guerreiros do Passo at Praça do Hipódromo, Recife. April 2018. Photo credit: José Henrique Lustosa Roriz.
I have been spending the past 5 months in Recife, Brazil studying frevo dance, with only one month to go! This project is made possible by a postdoctoral U.S. Scholar Fulbright grant. To find out more about my research, check out my blog: frevo.thekatespanos.com. Photo credit: José Henrique Lustosas Roriz
I’m very excited to be heading to Recife, Brazil on a six-month postdoctoral Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant! I will be studying frevo, a dance and music genre from Recife and the state of Pernambuco, to continue my research on “dances of resistance” and the role of dance, music, and carnival/festival in cultural identity formation. I […]
I’m excited to announce that I am co-founding a small business called Samba Jig Productions with partner Pablo de Oliveira! The company will offer music/dance related mobile apps and will do event bookings and promotion in the Washington, DC metro area. Our first app, called SambApp, is currently in development and will be available soon. […]
Brades, Montserrat. December 2013.
Check out my Montserrat travel blog for updates on my fieldwork trip to research the music, dance, and performance culture on the island! I am posting photos and videos of the things I see and hear, and I am also writing about the workshops in Irish dance and West African drumming that I have been […]
Aoibhell performed by Kate Spanos at the Local Old Style Concert at the Institute of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, MD, April 14, 2013.
Local Old Style is an intensive to jump-start a study of Irish sean nós (old style) dance and related forms including classes in Irish set dance and battering, old style solo set dances, Northern Ireland Festival Style, and sean nós for improvisation and musicality, featuring local Irish dance teachers Shannon Dunne, Megan Downes, Kate Spanos, […]
Choreography by Kate Spanos. Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick, Ireland. May 2008.
Photo by Maurice Gunning.
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just about the green! I’m excited to be featured on Psychology Today in an article by Maureen Seaberg about my “colored movement” synesthesia in Irish dance. A Reel of Primary Colors talks about my bright reels, pastel slip jigs, and earthy hornpipes, and my plans for St. Patrick’s Day this year. […]
Joy of Motion‘s Percussive Dance Project is coming up on Saturday, January 28, 2012! The show features local tappers, flamenco dancers, flatfooters, and Irish dancers. I’m resurrecting my “Waiting for Conrad” choreography (originally performed at Keeping Dance Alive! 2010 in Chico, CA) for the occasion, and I will be joined by my friends and fellow […]
This week I had the pleasure of attending BEAT RETREAT in Afton, VA and Charlottesville, VA. A group of percussive dancers got together for an intensive week of dancing: teaching, swapping steps, partying, and inspiring one another. There were tappers, flatfooters, cloggers, Cape Breton step dancers, Irish step dancers (that would be me!), and body […]
Choreography by Kate Spanos. Performed at Keeping Dance Alive! 2010 in Chico, CA. Photo credit: Derek Ralston.
“Waiting for Conrad” video is finally here! Performed at Keeping Dance Alive! 2010 in Chico, CA. Choreography by Kate Spanos Music: “Waiting for Conrad” by Shooglenifty (Venus in Tweeds, 1995) Performers: Maria Oliver, Kate Spanos, Shannon Sullivan, Rose Trulin, Kelsey Wilson, Abby Zuppan View all of my videos on YouTube