We have had a busy few months of performances!
Southern Maryland Celtic Festival
In April, we performed two sets at the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival in St. Leonard. We always have a great time at this event, and this year we presented a sean nós / old style Irish dance set and a festival style set, accompanied by harpist Abbie Palmer. It was a great opportunity to further show all the different styles within Irish dance and also invite some families to participate in a mini céilí dance lesson at the end. Thanks as always to Kaitlyn Likas for the generous invitation!
International Dance Experience
In May, we performed a new original choreography at Prince George’s County’s annual International Dance Experience at the Prince George’s Publick Playhouse. Thanks to the M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County for having us! This was a special event for performers from various dance cultures in the county (including Brazilian samba, Latin salsa, and West African stilt dancing) to come together and create a participatory experience for the audience. We performed “Ballymacaldrick” to the beautiful tune by Beoga, and I was happy to have Rebecca McGowan and Moira Ragen join me and Maggie for this piece. I think we are onto something with the colorful jumpsuits—stylish and comfortable! 🙂
Crossroad Concerts: Irish & Brazilian Samba Fusion
Later in May, I took a whirlwind 22-hour trip to New York City for a special opportunity to combine all my interests at once. My colleague Colin Harte invited me to be interviewed for a new documentary project he is working on about Montserrat’s Irishness and St. Patrick’s Festival. It has been a decade since my dissertation, so I had to do a bit of cramming on the train to remember the details, but I was happy to have the opportunity to share my research on this island that I love so much. Thanks as well to filmmaker Dien Vo and to the New York Irish Center, where the interview was held.
A special bonus was having the opportunity to jump on stage later that evening at Colin’s “Crossroad Concerts” series, this one focused on traditional Irish music and Brazilian samba, featuring Annmarie Acosta and Dylan James alongside the very impressive Harlem Samba. All my worlds collided at once!
Comhaltas Brasil’s Féile 2025
The Brazilian/Irish mix didn’t stop there! I was thrilled to be invited to participate virtually in this year’s Féile hosted by Comhaltas Brasil. It is great to see so many musicians, dancers, and scholars excited and inspired by Irish music in Brazil, where I have also found so much creative inspiration as a dancer. I taught a class in festival style Irish dance (in Portuguese, I am proud to share!) and also gave a paper at their academic seminar alongside other scholars. My paper, “Munganga e a Redescoberta da Expressão na Dança Irlandesa: Diálogos entre o Frevo e uma Tradição Globalizada,” was about how frevo dance helped me rediscover myself in Irish dance through the creative practice of munganga, which I have written extensively about 🙂
Thanks to Fernanda Faez, Felipe Burkhardt, Elis Carvalho, and Kevin Shortall for welcoming me to this great event.
Carroll County Celtic Festival
Last weekend, we performed at the Carroll County Celtic Festival. This was a momentous performance because I finally had enough dancers with me to fill out a full céilí set! We did a lively variation of the North Kerry Polka Set. My sean nós students showed off their rhythmic skills beautifully, and of course, we showcased festival style as well. It was wonderful, as always, to have Abbie Palmer join us on harp and vocals, and we also had the talented Keira Noonan join us on fiddle.
Sean nós jam sessions
Finally, we kicked off our sean nós jam sessions this past weekend to great success! Accompanied by Marty Frye on flute, I led a guided warm-up followed by some fun improvisational games that got everyone smiling and trying new things. I am looking forward to the next one on July 13!
