Photo credit: Theresa Keil / Human Being Productions.
Irish céilí dance calling
I call Irish céilí dances regularly in the DC and Baltimore areas, including EducArte’s céilí series, the Baltimore Open Céilí, and the Emerald Isle Céilí Club in Towson, MD. I also call céilí dances for weddings and private events.
A céilí dance caller is a person who briefly explains each dance and then “calls” the figures and movements out while the crowd is dancing. The role is a cross between an instructor and an emcee.
My philosophy towards céilí dance calling centers around these ideas: (1) For beginners, the beautiful thing about céilí dancing is that it feels exhilaratingly chaotic as you rush to figure out where you need to be next, maybe collide with someone, and laugh it off; and (2) For advanced dancers who understand the underlying logic, the beautiful thing about céilí dancing is that the dances are entirely structured and predictable—not at all chaotic. Both of these experiences can co-exist in one dance hall! I promote a welcoming, inclusive, cooperative, and fun environment for beginner to advanced dancers of all ages.
Brazilian frevo classes
I teach regular frevo classes through my non-profit, EducArte. Frevo, from the Portuguese word “ferver,” is an effervescent dance and music genre associated with the street carnivals of Recife, the capital of Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco.
I studied frevo in Recife through a postdoctoral Fulbright grant in 2018, and I teach under the mentorship of Otávio Bastos (founder of Mexe Com Tudo) from Recife/Olinda. Mexe Com Tudo is a frevo dance group, methodology, and philosophy developed by Otávio (derived from Mestre Nascimento do Passo’s frevo cinquentão) with a focus on individual expression and challenging Western aesthetic standards in dance. This approach to frevo welcomes everyone to dance in the ways that bring them the most pleasure.
Learn more about my frevo classes on EducArte’s website. Learn more about the philosophy of Mexe Com Tudo in an article by Paula Passos in Recife’s Revista Continente.
Irish dance coaching and workshops
I offer private coaching for competitive Irish dancers at any level, from beginner to open championship. I also offer special workshops in festival style, performance choreography, sean nós, and old style set dances.
There are many styles of Irish dance, including feis style, festival style from Northern Ireland, sean nós from Connemara, old style step dancing, céilí and set dancing, and show styles like Riverdance. I believe that deep training in one Irish dance style is enhanced by understanding how other styles, though distinct, are connected. My teaching entertwines techniques and methods from various styles to support growth and learning in traditional and modern Irish dance.
Learn more about my own training on the Dance page.
About festival style Irish dance
My current focus is on festival style Irish dance, which I am beginning to teach and perform regularly. My goal is to build a festival style dance community here in Maryland and the DC area.
Festival style Irish dance is a form associated with Northern Ireland that is distinct from the “feis” style step dancing that emerged in the mid-twentieth century. The style was pioneered by Patricia Mulholland, a fiddler and dancer, who created a “folk ballet” in the 1930s-1950s in the Belfast area. Influenced by Scottish and Irish step dancing, festival style is known for its slow, elegant, and controlled slip jigs and set dances. Creating “light and shade” in one’s dancing is an important aspect of the style, with graceful leg lifts, swoops, and spins. In competition, festival style dancers wear simple, traditional costumes without wigs or makeup.
I was first introduced to festival style in 2008 while a student in the Master’s in Traditional Irish Dance program at the University of Limerick. We were taught by guest tutor Ruth Long of the Royal Tara Academy in Belfast. I am currently studying in the Lauren Smyth Academy, an online platform created in 2021 by Lauren Smyth to promote festival style worldwide. Lauren was the first principal dancer in Riverdance to come out of Belfast’s festival style tradition.
Further reading:
- King, Angeline. 2018. Irish Dancing: The Festival Story. Leschenault, Western Australia: Leschenault Press.
- MacCafferty, Joyce Ann. 2007. The Deep Green Pool: The Life, Work and Legacy of Patricia Mulholland. Derry Ireland: Guildhall Press.
Festival style choreography at the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival in 2023. Choreographed by Kate Spanos, “Marga’s” recording by Brian Finnegan (The Ravishing Genius of Bones, 2010). Video credit: Pablo Regis de Oliveira.
Aoibhell, a festival style set dance, performed at the Local Old Style Showcase at the House of Musical Traditions in 2013. Choreographed by Ruth Long/Royal Tara Academy, piano recording by Francis Ward. Video credit: Institute of Musical Traditions