St. Brigid’s Dance Festival
Kate Spanos Irish Dance presents the inaugural St. Brigid’s Dance Festival on Saturday, January 30, 2027, at the Takoma Park Community Center in Takoma Park, MD.
Inspired by St. Brigid—Ireland’s patron saint of creativity, craft, and care—the festival brings dancers, musicians, families, and curious newcomers together for participatory workshops, children’s activities, Brigid’s cross-making, and an evening concert.
The festival grows from a desire to create more dancer-centered, welcoming spaces within the regional Irish arts community. While Irish dance traditions are often presented through narrow or competitive lenses, St. Brigid’s Dance Festival celebrates the many ways to participate: social dancing, sean-nós improvisation, set dancing, new choreography, live music, and shared cultural experiences. With special attention to women and other underrepresented voices in Irish traditional arts, the festival honors living traditions while making room for new ideas, new artists, and new connections across generations.
Join us for a full day of Irish dance, music, culture, creativity, and community!
Registration is coming soon.
Schedule (subject to change)
- 10:00am–10:30am: Welcome and registration
- 10:30am–12:00pm: Workshop 1 (St. Brigid’s Day set dance for intermediate+ levels) and concurrent children’s session
- 12:00pm–1:30pm: Lunch break
- 1:30pm–3:00pm: Workshop 2 (sean nós for all levels) and concurrent children’s session
- 3:00pm–3:30pm: Tea break and Brigid’s cross-making activity
- 3:30pm–5:00pm: Workshop 3 (Moate Set for all levels) and concurrent lecture/discussion (free!)
- 7:30pm: Evening concert
About the daytime sessions
Workshop 1: St. Brigid’s Day, solo set dance (intermediate+ levels)
Learn the new St. Brigid’s Day set dance composed and choreographed by Caitlín Nic Gabhann in 2022. Commissioned by the Irish Traditional Music Archive (2022), the tune and dance were created because, unlike St. Patrick’s Day, no tune or dance honored St. Brigid. The commission aligned with the creation of the new bank holiday in Ireland in 2022 to commemorate St. Brigid, highlighting the contributions of Irish women. A four-part slip jig, the tune and dance represent the four sides of St. Brigid’s cross and the four corners of her cloak, which are said to have spread across Ireland when she founded her monastery.
Taught by Kate Spanos.
Workshop 2: Sean nós slip jigs (all levels)
Staying with the slip jig theme, this workshop explores the distinctive rhythms and steps of the slip jig in 9/8 time. Although slip jigs were historically danced by both men and women, they have become more closely associated with women’s dancing over time. Together, we’ll reclaim the slip jig as a rhythm for everyone, experimenting with percussive improvisation and developing steps that respond to its lively, flowing pulse. Because slip jigs are heard less often at traditional sessions and in sean-nós dancing, this is a chance to build confidence with a rhythm that can feel both unfamiliar and exciting. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a few steps to improvise when a slip jig comes up at a session!
Taught by instructor TBA.
Workshop 3: Moate Set, country set dance (all levels)
Celebrate the spirit of St. Brigid through the Moate Set, a lively country set dance featuring a memorable St. Brigid’s Cross formation. This all-levels workshop will introduce the figures of the Moate Set with clear instruction and plenty of time to dance them through. Whether you are new to set dancing or looking to add a distinctive set to your repertoire, this will be a fun experience with a dance that beautifully reflects the festival’s St. Brigid’s theme.
Taught by Ann Marie Breheny.
Children’s sessions
Families are invited to participate in joyful, hands-on children’s activities inspired by St. Brigid, Irish tradition, music, and movement. Throughout the day, young participants will explore dance rhythms, try simple percussive steps, create St. Brigid’s crosses and other crafts, and engage with stories and creative activities designed especially for children. These sessions offer a welcoming way for children to experience Irish arts through play, imagination, and participation—no prior dance experience required.
Sessions take place concurrently with the adult workshops, so bring the whole family. There is something for everyone!
Led by Catherine Marafino Brice.
Lecture discussion
Details coming soon.
Presented by Michael Winch.
About the evening concert
The St. Brigid’s Dance Festival evening concert brings the day to a celebratory close with live traditional music and dynamic performances by dancers and musicians from the DC-area Irish arts community. Rooted in tradition and open to new possibilities, the program will feature solo and group dance, exciting musical collaborations, and works that highlight the many ways that traditional Irish dance can be performed, shared, and reimagined.
Expect a lively, welcoming evening of rhythmic footwork, memorable tunes, and artistic exchange—equally suited to longtime lovers of Irish arts and audiences encountering these traditions for the first time.
Performers include:
Dancers: Kate Bole, Ann Marie Breheny, Catherine Marafino Brice, Annabelle Bugay, Maggie Hensler-McGinnis, Amanda Keiser, Kate Spanos
Musicians: Joanna Clare (fiddle), Marty Frye (flute), Richard Hearn (banjo/bouzouki), David McKindley-Ward (guitar, song), Abbie Palmer (harp, song)
About the artists
Bios coming soon.
This festival is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org).
This festival is offered in partnership with EducArte.
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