Rince Na Saor Irish Dancing

Traffic control.

Back in the theater playing with the lights! So excited for tomorrow!

Getting the cameras ready! The recording will be more important this year, as block scheduling means we won't get to watch each other dance the way we usually do.

Prepping the theater for our show this weekendthe stage sounds and feels fantastic! We're grateful to be able to perform on "our" stage this year, but sad we can't welcome everyone to join us. Hopefully we can next year, and have our ceili with the audience too!

Delighted to have danced with the Comhaltas last weekend at the Celtic Faire!

A question as I was queuing up Jingle Bells for a (modified) ceili dance last night--"Do you have that Longest Johns song we danced to last year?" Why yes, I do, and it's even a Christmas song. And great to dance to!

Thanks to the families of our Level I dancers who attended our Holiday Ceili last night! We danced 2-hands only, and only with members of our own household, but it was wonderful for everyone to have partners again, and wonderful to ceili again. Nollaig Shona Daoibh! (Merry Christmas to you!)

Cora and Zöe are working hard on their treble jigs!

Happy Thanksgiving to all RNS dancers and supporters, and their families!

Dancers can relate.

Our Beginner Sean Nós Workshop is tonight! "Shah-nose" is old style Irish Stepdancing, a slower, more casual style which is accessible to everyone! When: Friday, September 25, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Level: Beginnerno experience necessary!... Register: www.rns.dance/Registration.html. Click on "Sean Nós (Old Style Stepdance) Workshops and Sessions". You'll also find our Covid precautions on the main Registration page.

So wonderful to see so many back in the studio! So wonderful to see so many back in the studio!

Get moving again at our Beginner Sean Nós Workshop! "Shah-nose" is old style Irish Stepdancing, a slower, more casual style which is accessible to everyone! When: Friday, September 25, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Level: Beginnerno experience necessary!... Register: www.rns.dance/Registration.html. Click on "Sean Nós (Old Style Stepdance) Workshops and Sessions". You'll also find our Covid precautions on the main Registration page.

Are you missing ceili's? I'm missing our community ceili's terribly, the dancing, the music, the craic ("crack" = conversation). Ceili's are unfortunately off the table for the moment, but we have the next best thingthe (distanced) circle of dancers at our Beginner Sean Nós workshop! Sean Nós ("shah-nose") dancing is the original form of Irish stepdancing. Unlike its higher-kicking cousin, the modern stepdancing we see in shows like Riverdance, Sean Nós is slower, gentle...r, and much more casual. We've added Sean Nós dancing to our Rochester ceili's, so if you learn a simple step or two, you'll scratch the ceili itch and be ready to join the circle when the time comes to ceili again! When: Friday, September 25, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Level: Beginnerno experience necessary! Register: www.rns.dance/Registration.html. Click on "Sean Nós (Old Style Stepdance) Workshops and Sessions". You'll also find our Covid precautions on the main Registration page.

Classes start Friday, September 18! Register at rns.dance/Registration.htmlClasses start Friday, September 18! Register at rns.dance/Registration.html

Bóín Dé (boe een day) = ladybug. Always looking to brush up my Irish!

"A gift from one artist to another in tough times." Go hálainn! (Beautiful!)

It's a great lineup this year for our virtual O'Flaherty Retreat on Oct. 18th-Nov. 8th including (pictured left to right) Joey Abarta -- Uilleann Pipes (All Le...vels); Eimear Arkins -- Fiddle (Intermediate); Cormac Begley --Concertina (Int. & Adv.); Harry Bradley -- Flute (Int. & Adv.); Chris Buckley -- Fiddle (Fundamentals); Zoe Conway -- Fiddle (Advanced); Liz Doherty -- Fiddle (Intermediate); Colm Gannon -- Button Accordion (All Levels); Eileen Gannon -- Harp (All Levels); Kelly Gannon -- Concertina (Fundamentals); Liz Hanley -- Singing (All Levels); James Keane -- Honored Guest & Lecturer; Paddy League -- Bodhrán (Int. & Adv.); Joanie Madden -- Whistle (Int. & Adv.); L.E. McCullough -- Whistle/Flute (Fundamentals); Brian McGillicuddy -- Mandolin (Int. & Adv.); Manus McGuire -- Fiddle (Intermediate); Jeff Moore -- Guitar (Fundamentals); John Morrow -- Mandolin/Banjo (Fundamentals); Mirella Murray -- Piano Accordion (All Levels); Jim Murray -- Guitar (Int. & Adv.); Gerry O'Connor -- Tenor Banjo (Int. & Adv.); Eoin O'Neill -- Bouzouki (All Levels); Jaclyn O'Riley -- Dancing (All Levels) Sean-Nós; Cara Wildman -- Bodhrán (Fundamentals). Haley Richardson will play melodies for the Bodhrán, Bouzouki, Guitar and Dance classes. Go to www.oflahertyretreat.org to register. See more

I remember seeing ogham inscriptions when I was in Ireland. Fascinating!

Up at 5 a.m. (10a.m. Irish time) for a workshop on 2-hand dances with Gráinne Burke from Áirc Damhsa! (Yes, I'm nuts. ). We can't have a ceili now, but when we can, we'll have new dances to enjoy, and some twists on familiar ones. All those years dancing the Stack of Barley, and I didn't know it was danced in the shape of a cross!

Lovely Brush Dance workshop with Deirdre Kerins from Edwina Guckian's school in Leitrim! A Brush Dance would be a great thing to do this FallBrush Dancing is physically distanced by nature.

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" Excellent dance partner!

Happy Lúghnasa! Sure doesn’t feel like the "first day of autumn" here.