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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