Sean nós workshop with Rebecca McGowan

Sean-nós (“old style”) Irish dance is improvised, rhythmic, and expressive step dancing, closely tied to traditional music. The class will start with a warmup and then learn and play with basic steps. The focus is on making great rhythm! For more experienced dancers, develop fluidity and fine-tune your ear with some new step ideas and lots of play in a fun and low-pressure setting.

The workshop will take place at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Dance Studio 1, on the University of Maryland campus in College Park. Registrants will receive specific directions to the studio before the workshop. Parking in Lot 1 is free on Saturdays.

This workshop is geared toward advanced beginner to intermediate level dancers. If you are not sure if this is the right level for you, please contact Kate.

About Rebecca:

From Boston, Rebecca McGowan is a traditional and old-style Irish dancer, with particular interest in step dancing as music and making Irish dance lyrical and approachable. She has been on the faculty of the Catskills Irish Arts Week, ReJigged, Pinewoods, O’Flaherty Retreat, and others. She released a unique visual album From the Floor (2019) and a quartet album Eight Feet Tall (2023) together with duet partner Jackie O’Riley. Rebecca has been recognized as a co-recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Choreography Fellowship (2022), Somerville Artist Fellowships, and the Boston Foundation, and she directs a non-competitive step dancing school for adults.