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| April 2008 |
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Sunday, April 13 In Concert, Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour Irish Set Dancing, 8 pm Eagle's Club, 25th Avenue and 25th Street, Minneapolis, MN $5.00 Donation, Caller: Tim McAndrew Set Dancing Origins Set dancing is the traditional country dancing of Ireland. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Irish dancers adapted French cotillions and quadrilles to Irish reels and polkas to create their own lively dances, which became the set dances we know today. Set dancing shares some of its origins with American square dancing and, like square dancing, is done in squares of four couples. There is no caller in set dancing, however; rather each dance (or set) has a unique pattern of figures. These figures often incorporate many turning moves and generally use steps that are low to the ground and smooth. Varying the rhythm of the steps can allow for creativity and improvisation in the dancing. Revival In earlier times, a set might have been unique to a particular town in Ireland, but as time went on dancing masters began to collect the sets from different communities and teach them at dance workshops, thereby bringing them to a larger audience. This led to a trememdous revival of set dancing that began in Ireland in the 1980s and has since spread throughout the world. Set Dancing News has information about set dancing workshops and ceilis on almost every continent. Set dancing is very much a living tradition; the dancers aren't re-enacting an old dance form, and the sets themselves and the style in which they are danced continue to evolve. Toronto-based dancing.org offers this excellent description of traditional social dancing. |
| May 2008 |
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Saturday, May 31 The Celtic Edge Hobgoblin Stoney End Music 920 Highway 19 Red Wing, MN 55066 Also featuring, Paddy Keenan, The Eddies, and more TBA |
| Booking Info Visit the site of the Minnesota Folk Festival Twin Cities Acoustic Music Calendar |
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Photo: David Hendrickson |
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