Dance Archive of Ireland at the University of Limerick

The University of Limerick recently announced the establishment of Ireland 's first national dance archive to be based at the Glucksman Library. The Dance Archive of Ireland will be established through seed funding of €40,000 from the Arts Council and came about through initiatives carried out by Dance Research Forum Ireland, a body set up in 2003 by Dr Catherine Foley, Director of the MA Ethnochoreology and MA Irish Traditional Dance Performance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at University of Limerick. Dance Research Forum Ireland received an award from the Arts Council in 2008 to carry out a feasibility report in connection with the establishment of a national dance archive in Ireland .

Dr Catherine Foley, Chair of Dance Research Forum Ireland said "Following years of effort, the National Dance Archive of Ireland is now becoming a reality; it is a historic moment for all dance in Ireland . Dance Research Forum Ireland owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the Arts Council for the awarding of this seed funding"

The report, written by dance historian, Dr Victoria O'Brien, established the existence of a wealth of dance archival material, which to date has been difficult to access. Since the completion of the feasibility report, Dance Research Forum Ireland together with the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, the Glucksman Library at the University of Limerick, and the Arts Council have worked together towards the establishment of an accessible dance archive.

Commenting on the announcement, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Professor of Music and Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University said: 'The establishment of the Dance Archive of Ireland at the University of Limerick, is a direct follow on from the inspired and inclusive vision of Dance Research Forum Ireland, across ballet, contemporary, traditional, popular and world dance genres."

www.irishworldacademy.ie

www.danceresearchforumireland.org

Christmas gift ideas & classes

Happy Holidays,

I am in the middle of a big show here in Portland featuring sean-nós and set dancing. It's been a great run and we have 6 shows left. I wanted to let everybody know that I now have Gift Certificates available for classes and private lessons.

Also available is the Dance Sean-nós DVD for $35. The 12 step sean-nós dance program. Learn steps in the comfort of your own home.

Bellow is the information for next terms classes. I hope to see some of you in the new year. Folks can register for Portland classes or buy the DVD on my website at www.maldonmeehan.com/products.html

-Maldon

WEEKLY CLASSES IN 2010

PORTLAND
Mondays 7pm Sean-nós Dance Class
Performance Works Northwest, 4625 SE 67th Ave, Portland
Jan. 11 - March 29 ($80 for 12 weeks)

Mondays 8pm Percussive Choreography
Performance Works Northwest, 4625 SE 67th Ave, Portland
Jan. 11 - March 29 ($80 for 12 weeks)

SALEM
Tuesdays 5:30pm Sean-nós Dance
VFW Hall, 630 Hood Street, Salem, OR
Year round (no class Dec. 29) $5-8

Tuesdays 6:30-8:30pm Irish Céilí and Set Dance
VFW Hall, 630 Hood Street, Salem, OR
Year round (no class Dec. 29) $5-8

Workshop in Newport Feb. 7

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Susan Spencer
Bridie's Irish Faire
342 SW Bay Blvd
Newport OR 97365
(541) 574-9366

What: Irish Sean-nós Step Dance Workshop with Maldon Meehan
Sponsored by Bridie's Irish Faire and The Céilí of the Valley Society
When: Saturday February 7, 2009, 11am-2pm
Where: Dance and All That Jazz, 630 SW Hurbert Street, Newport, OR
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Step Lively!

There's nothing like a traditional Irish jig to lift your spirits and get your feet moving lively, and that's exactly what is planned for the Oregon Coast on February 7th, when The Céilí of the Valley Society and Bridie's Irish Faire host an Irish Sean-nós step dance workshop featuring Maldon Meehan.

Sean-nós dance, literally meaning "old style", is the oldest form of Irish dance, and most likely the form where the American traditions of tap and clogging draw their roots. An improvisational, rhythmic dance form, sean-nós steps are danced low to the ground and the dancer is free to interpret the music individually.

"When my shop first opened in Salem, customers frequently asked about Irish language and dance classes for adults, which were not available locally at that time," says Susan Spencer, current president of the Céilí of the Valley Society, and owner of Bridie's Irish Faire, a gift shop she moved to the Newport Bay Front last spring. By researching venues, musicians, instructors, and callers, Spencer was able to form weekly sean-nós and céilí dance classes, as well as create a monthly céilí—an Irish social dance gathering that features live music—which is when she and Maldon Meehan first met.

"Maldon Meehan is a tireless, generous instructor, who has been instrumental in the continuation of the Salem classes and céilí in my absence. I am so grateful that she will be able to carve time out of her busy schedule to teach a workshop at the Oregon coast," says Spencer.

Maldon Meehan is a performer, teacher and scholar of Irish dance who holds a BA in Irish Studies/Theater Arts from The Evergreen State College and an MA in Ethnochoreology from the University of Limerick, Ireland (maldonmeehan.com). She has over 18 years experience dancing, teaching and performing, and was a 2008 Regional Arts and Cultures grant recipient [www.maldonmeehan.com].

"Maldon's education and background in ethnic dance make her an ideal instructor and performer," says Nancy Jarrell of Portland Community College. "She not only knows the physical dance inside and out, but knows and has a love for the dance history, which she happily communicates to her students".

Exciting, rhythmic and fun, this workshop will teach the basics of sean-nós dance with the focus on rhythmic footwork to jigs and reels, specific sean-nós dance steps and improvisation techniques—understanding Irish music and the history of Irish dance will be touched upon as well.

As a sean-nós dancer, Maldon Meehan appeared on the nationally televised 2005 Oireachtas at the Cork Opera House in Cork City (TG4) and on Connemara Community Radio and Raidió na Gaeltachta (RTÉ). She placed 3rd in the Comórtas Chóilín Sheáin Dharach, a sean-nós jig competition held annually in Connemara as well as release an instructional DVD of sean-nós dance with Ronan Regan, in 2005, which has sold in more than 17 countries worldwide.

"I love traditional Irish music and dance," says Susan Spencer, "so it was really a selfish endeavor to organize my first Newport Irish dance workshop the moment my new customers showed an interest!" And Spencer is planning ahead, "I can't wait to hold our first "céilí by the sea" here in Newport. I've got amazing musicians and callers lined up, I'm just looking for the perfect dance floor!"

The venue for the February 7th workshop is Dance and All That Jazz, 630 S.W. Hurbert Street. The workshop is open to all levels and ages with no previous experience necessary. Please bring shoes with smooth, hard leather soles; no tap shoes please. To pre-register (cost is $25 in advance, $30 at the door, with one scholarship available), or more information, please contact Susan Spencer at Bridie’s Irish Faire (541) 574-9366 [www.bridiesirishfaire.com].

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