St. Patrick's Day Program: Irish Music & Dance with Shannon Dunne

ONLINE ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION HOSTED BY IACI-JS

PRESS RELEASE – February 16, 2021

Shannon Dunne, dance teacher, renowned international performer and principal of Shannon Dunne Dance, an intergenerational dance company in Washington D.C., will host a presentation sponsored by the Irish American Cultural Institute-Jersey Shore chapter (IACI-JS) on Monday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. The evening will showcase traditional Irish tunes once played by traveling musicians and will perform dance steps that were taught by itinerant dancing-masters at Ireland’s crossroads.

Ms. Dunne grew up in New Jersey where she studied tap dancing which eventually led her to Irish dancing. “I’m thrilled to be returning to my roots in New Jersey to talk about traditional Irish dancing-masters who taught at the crossroads of Ireland and performed tunes once played by traveling musicians. It is my goal to pass down these early Irish tunes and dances to the next generation.”

As an award-winning sean-nós dancer, Ms. Dunne is uniquely qualified to discuss this indigenous Irish art form. Whereas Irish step-dancing, popularized by the show Riverdance, is easily recognized by its decorative costumes, arms held to the side of the body and choreographed steps, sean-nós dancers generally wear regular clothing, move their arms with the natural rhythm of the music and improvise their dance steps. Personal style is highly valued and each dancer develops their own unique, interpretive style. The dance is traditionally performed solo and if presented in groups, dancers usually take turns dancing, rather than perform in synchronization like in step-dancing.

The main difference between sean-nós dance and the more formal Irish step-dancing is that it is free-form in its expression. The elements of the dance combine battering footwork with loose, engaged movements of the arms. The steps are improvised and are often accompanied by a single musician. The dancer follows the subtleties in the musical tempo and the battering step emulates the beat of the music. Both musician and dancer use rhythmic components as building blocks to create a natural connection between the music and the dance.

Ms. Dunne explained the roots of this lesser-known Irish dance style saying, “The phrase sean-nós literally means “old style” in the Irish language. This dance-form has been kept alive in the remote areas of the Connemara Gaeltacht in the west of Ireland and passed along through family and community connections. As people emigrated from Ireland, they took sean-nós dance with them to America, ultimately having an influence on tap-dancing and American folk dancing.”

“We’re thrilled to have Shannon as our guest for our March program. She has performed all over the globe and is a world-class performer who is passionate about expanding awareness of Ireland’s traditional tunes and dances,” said Dr. Peter Halas, Chairman of the IACI-JS.

All are welcome to attend Ms. Dunne’s presentation on Monday, March 8th online via Zoom. Admission is free for IACI-JS chapter members and $11 for guests. Tickets can be purchased at facebook.com/IACIJerseyShore/events, click the “FIND TICKETS” link.

To keep informed on upcoming IACI-JS monthly and special events “like” or “follow” IACI-JS on their Facebook page and you won’t miss a thing!