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October 5th, 6th and 7th, 2007Bartley Ranch Regional Park |
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Celtic Dancers |
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Highland Dancers! Irish Dancers!Look for Scottish and Irish dancers... Our Dancers include: |
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About the Dances: Irish Step DancingStepdancing as a modern form is descended directly from sean nós ("old style") stepdancing. White there are many forms of stepdancing in Ireland, such as the Connemara style stepdancing, the style most familiar is the Munster, or southern, form, which has been formalized by An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha, which first met in 1930. An Coimisiún was formed from a directorate of the Gaelic League during the Modern Revival. Irish stepdance has very precise rules about what one may and may not do and when, but within these rules there is almost infinite room for variety and innovation. Thus, Irish stepdancing is a vibrant and constantly evolving art form. As a solo form, stepdances fall into two categories: Soft shoe and hard shoe. The reel, slip jig, hornpipe and jig are dances as well as types of Irish traditional music. The hornpipe is a hard shoe dance as is the treble jig. The reel, slip jig, single and jigs are soft shoe dances. The dances that have the distinctive tap sound are hard shoe, whereas the soft shoe is more like ballet slippers. The other distinguishing feature of Irish stepdancing is that the dancers keep their arms by their sides to draw attention to the footwork. Traditional costume for the ladies and girls feature colorful, beautiful designs from the Book of Kells and other ancient Irish books. The lovely, bouncy curls of the girls' hairstyle is also part of the tradition and does count in competition. The lads are more likely to be wearing kilts or slacks. For more about Irish stepdancing and its history, go to this article at Wikipedia.com. Scottish Country DancingScottish Country Dancing is the ballroom dance of Scotland. It consists of energetic jigs and reels and graceful strathspeys. Generally taught and performed with the guidelines set forth by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS), Scottish country dancing, "SCD" or "reeling" is a form of social dance involving groups of mixed couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns according to a predetermined choreography. SCD is often considered a type of folk dancing although this is not strictly true - it derives from the courtly dances of the Renaissance and, as a form of ballroom dancing, predates the more modern styles of the quadrille as well as couple dances like the waltz. Most often done in organized formations referred to as "sets", Scottish country dancing consists of three or four couples, but some dances call for larger sets of five, six or even more couples. The usual set shape is "longwise"---each man opposite his partner with all the men in a line facing a similar line of women. The leftmost man and his partner are called the "first" or "top" couple, and sets are generally formed such that first couple is closest to the source of music. In larger rooms several sets form a longer line running down the hall. Other, much less common types of sets include triangular sets (three couples on the sides of a triangle), square sets (four couples on the sides of a square) or square sets with extra couples in the center; there are also "round-the-room" dances for couples facing couples, groups of three dancers facing each other, and so on. Scottish country dances are made up of figures of varying length, to suit the phrasing of the dance tunes. There are various kinds of figures ranging from the very simple, such as a couple changing places across the set giving right hands, to fairly intricate evolutions involving three or four couples at the same time. These figures are combined to form a sequence, which is then repeated several times to form the complete dance. Scottish Country Dancing is usually energetic and enthusiastic. For more information, check out the very good article on Wikipedia Cape Breton StepdancingTwo hundred years ago, settlers from the Scottish Highlands and Western Islands immigrated to Cape Breton, an isolated island off the tip of present-day Nova Scotia. They brought with them a form of hard-shoe dance then performed in Scotland. These steps have largely died out in the old country but have been preserved in the kitchens and living rooms and on the dance floors of Cape Breton Island. Similar to clogging, Irish step, and tap-dance, they are performed to fiddle or bagpipe or even puirt-a-beul (singing without instruments). For an interesting view from a scholar on the history of Breton Stepdancing, read this article.
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Blanchette School of Irish DanceBlanchette School of Irish Dance will be performing on the Dance Stage. This school was founded in Carson City in 1999 by Miriam Blanchette, and has grown from a handful of students to over 50 in a few short years. She teaches in South Lake Tahoe and Reno in addition to Carson City. Check the dance schedule for performance times for all dancers. |
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Silver
State Scottish Country Dancers The Silver State Scottish Country Dancers are affiliated with the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society in Edinburgh. That’s official but less exciting and important than the fact that they really enjoy dancing. The group was started in Reno by Martha Norrie, a fine Scottish lady, and has grown in number of dancers and classes. They now have classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays and are always looking for new members. Ask a group member for details or call Marian at 825-1224 or Dave at 825-6867.
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Dunsmuir Scottish DancersThe Dunsmuir Scottish Dancers are dedicated to keeping alive the spirit and form of Scottish dances, old and new. Their repertoire spans four centuries of dance tradition. Period costumes and musical stylings bring the past to the present. They offer a wide variety of Scottish dancing. You will enjoy lively country dance reels, as well as elegant strathspeys. They perform works from the 18th Century, as well as dances created by contemporary devisers and are accompanied by a small band of musicians.
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The Red Thistle Dancers
Founded in 1973, the have been regular
participants in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival since 1977 and
were honorees in 1991. This Bay Area group has performed in the Dance
Mosaic in Palo Alto, in concerts and full-length theater productions,
outdoor events and fairs, international festivals, schools, parties,
fundraising events, weddings, and conventions. Their repertoire includes
dances dating from the 18th century to original dances devised by our own
dancers.
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Caper Duck Cape Breton DancersThe Sacramento Valley Cape Breton Step Dance Class began in 1997 in the classic tradition of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia: in the living rooms of two homes. The teachers, Gail Erwin and Bob Schuldheisz, wanted to share the steps they had learned in Cape Breton. Within two years the class outgrew the houses and moved to the school lunchroom at St. Francis School in Sacramento. Class members have performed at Scottish Games and Celtic events from Woodland to Bakersfield. The performance group took the name "Caper Duck"--Caper from the term by which Cape Bretoners identify themselves, and Duck for the class's stuffed mascot decked out in the Cape Breton tartan. |
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Copyright © 2007 Reno Celtic
Celebration |
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