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, who is celebrated on February 1—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 spaces within the regional Irish arts community that are dancer-centered and welcoming to new and traditional Irish dance practices. St. Brigid’s Dance Festival celebrates the many ways to participate in traditional Irish dance and music: social dancing, sean-nós improvisation, set dancing, new choreography, and live music. 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!
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 Kelly Smit.
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, Kelly Smit, 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
Kate Spanos
Festival organizer, dance
Kate Spanos, Ph.D., is a dancer, educator, and scholar with extensive expertise in Irish dance and experience with other global movement traditions. Kate holds a Master’s degree in Traditional Irish Dance Performance from the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, and she earned her doctorate in Dance and Performance Studies from the University of Maryland. Kate’s blend of scholarly insight and artistic practice inspires her mission to honor cultural heritage while fostering creativity and connection through performance.
Kate Bole
Dance
Bio coming soon.
Ann Marie Breheny
Dance
Ann Marie Breheny is a set dance instructor in the greater Washington, DC area. Though she attended the occasional céilí during her youth, she found her true love of dancing when she attended her first set dancing class as an adult. In the years since, she has learned sets and footwork from many of the leading set dancing instructors. She teaches a weekly set and céilí dance class for the Greater Washington Ceili Club (GWCC), teaches workshops on set dancing and set dance footwork and served as instructor for the GWCC
Spring Fling Weekend. She regularly calls at céilís and special events. Ann Marie enjoys making set dancing fun and accessible for dancers of all backgrounds and levels of dance experience.
Annabelle Bugay
Dance
Bio coming soon.
Joanna Clare
Fiddle
Bio coming soon.
Marty Frye
Flute
Raised in DC and steeped in the rich Irish music tradition of the DC/Baltimore region, Marty has emerged as a sought after teacher and performer on the Irish flute. Marty’s music was forged under the years-long mentorship and friendship of All-Ireland champion Josh Dukes, along with other local luminaries. His playing draws out subtleties in tone and rhythm, shaped by close musical relationships and a deep appreciation for the raw pure drop. Marty performs with Sarah Collins and David McKindley-Ward as Mossy Banks and has served on the faculty of the Baltimore Irish Music School and the Baltimore Irish Trad Fest. Notable past performances include the Boston Celtic Music Festival, Maryland Irish Festival, and the Maryland Folk Festival.
Richard Hearn
Bouzouki
Bio coming soon.
Maggie Hensler-McGinnis
Dance
Bio coming soon.
Amanda Keiser
Dance
Bio coming soon.
Catherine Marafino Brice
Dance
Catherine Marafino Brice is an Irish step dancer living in Annapolis, MD. She specializes in sean nós dance, old-style Irish step dancing, and has studied American tap dance and flatfooting. he began Irish step dancing and tap dancing as a child, and as a teenager learned from Emily Oleson and Matthew Olwell of Good Foot Dance Company. Fusing these influences together, she has created her own style of improvised percussive dance that is lively and unique.
Today, she is the owner and director of Annapolis Percussive Dance, and she teaches dance in Annapolis and Baltimore with the Baltimore Irish Music School. In 2025, she founded Club Spraíúil with artist Amy Healey, the purpose of which is to teach kids about Irish folklore and culture through art, crafts, dance (solo step dance and ceili dancing), and song.
David McKindley-Ward
Guitar, song
Bio coming soon.
Abbie Palmer
Harp, song
Kelly Smit
Dance
Bio coming soon.
Michael Winch
Speaker
Bio 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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