Sean-nos dance workshop with Kieran Jordan - Beginner Class

Irish Cultural Center of New England, 200 New Boston Dr, Canton, MA | Get Directions »
$20.00

Beginner Sean-nós Workshop with Kieran Jordan

Registration: $20 per person

This workshop is open to students ages 9 and up. Please wear shoes with a smooth hard sole.

Sean-nós means “old-style”in the Irish language.

As a solo, improvised form of dance, the sean-nós style is as varied and unique as every dancer who dances it. Sean-nós dance performance is often informal, playful, and expressive, allowing the dancer to engage in a here-and-now dialogue with the music. Distinct from more modern forms of Irish step dancing, sean-nós steps feature short rhythmic patterns, subtle movements with footwork kept close-to-the-floor, and a loose, relaxed upper body.

Sean-nós dance nearly died out in the 20th century but is now experiencing a major revival in Ireland and worldwide. Kieran has studied sean-nós dance traditions from Connemara and West Clare, and has become a major figure in teaching and performing it in the US. In 2005, she won Second Place in the Comórtas Chóilín Sheáin Dharach, the sean-nós jig competition in Ros Muc, County Galway. She has produced two DVDs on sean-nós dance—the documentary Secrets of the Sole and the instructional video Musical Feet!