Irish sean-nós dance is an older style of traditional Irish solo “battering” dance. It is more casual and lower to the ground, than more well-known competitive Irish step dance (“Riverdance-type”), with emphasis on personal style, personal expression, and relationship to the music. If you have ever longed to do Irish dance, even if you thought you were too old, out of shape, etc. you can learn the basics of this dance! We will learn to dance a version of the “Connemara basic” step in reel time, and then add in fun variations to help you create some of your own dance steps as well as practice an easy routine.
Shirleigh Brannon has been teaching non-competitive Irish dance in once form or another (solo and figure/ceili) since 1984. Her dance passions include older style step dance (in the tradition of CRN and Joe O’Donovan), ceil and set dance. She is never so happy as when dancing – except possibly when watching someone Irish dance who thought they couldn’t learn.
She was formerly the dancer director for the Irish Guild at the Renaissance Faire at Black Point Forest and her celebrated Scots-Irish music and dance troupe Siamsa le Cheile is one of the highlights of the annual San Francisco Great Dickens Christmas Fair.