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THE CELTIC CONNECTION • MARCH 1993
THEATRE UPDATE
Neil Jordan's film The Crying Game has been nominated for six Oscars, including that for best film, best actor (Stephen Rea) and best director.
•
Hugh Leonard's Da will be back on the stage of the Olympia in Dublin from March 11, starring Barnard Hughes, Donal McCann and and Maureen Potter. •
I don't think I ever mentioned that the stage version of Lady
Chatterly's Lover now seems to have been running on Dublin stages for as long as Mousetrap in London. It stars former Miss Ireland, Olivia Tracey, and Tony Coleman. Each time it is staged, there is such a demand for tickets at the end of the run, that it reopens again at the first opportunity. It returns to the Olympia again this month. We are obviously gluttons for culture. — Liam Ferrie
READY, SET, GO! Irish Set Dancing Group Sets Off to a Swinging Start
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By JACINTA FRENCH
VANCOUVER — The musicians strike up, the dancers take their places, and the caller begins "Lead around, advance and retire, pass through ladies chain, house around, swing in place."
Such was the scene in many homes and at many crossroads in Ireland at the turn of the century. Between 1870 and 1940 Irish set dancing was one of the most popular social pastimes, as dancers gathered together to celebrate the joy, exhilaration and "rhythmic vitality" of this unique form of dancing.
Now the same words are being used and the same dances are being performed once again, by a recently-formed group of Irish set-dancers in Vancouver. Since January, adult set dancing classes meet at the Anza Club at 8th and Quebec every Wednesday to learn and practise the art of Irish set dancing in the traditional fashion.
Set dancing differs from the more popular forms of Irish dancing — namely figure dancing and c6ilf dancing — in origin and function and also in movement and technique. Set- dances were handed down orally from generation to generation and a country-wide lapse in set dancing in the 1930's almost led to its extinction.
Since the beginning of the sue-
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cessful revival of set dancing in the early 1980's, about 30 set-dances have been collected from around Ireland and recorded in print. A set usually takes its name from the area in which it is most often danced.
For example, the Mazurka, the Caledonian and the Plain Sets are associated with County Clare, while the most popular dances in County Kerry are the Sliabh Luachra Set, the North Kerry Set and the South Kerry or Uibh Rathach Set.
Generally, a set is danced by four couples. Each set consists of numerous intricate movements which are organized into groups called "figures." Typically, there are five or six figures per set. The "body" or main movement is repeated at the beginning of each figure.
The dancing quickly reaches a crescendo and the end of the figure is marked by a stamping of feet and a pause in the music. A short interval between figures gives the dancers an opportunity to rest, recall the next figure or exchange the latest joke.
All set dances have a specific number of steps, equal to the number of musical bars of the accompanying music. The steps are danced in the style of the reel, jig, hornpipe, polka or slide.
The Sliabh Luachra Set, for example, has six figures: one slide, one jig, one hornpipe and three polkas. Experienced dancers often embellish the basic steps by introducing idiosyncratic movements or ornamentations" to produce a unique, yet synchronized effect.
According to Brendan Breath-nach, one of the foremost authorities on Irish traditional music and dance, two of the most distinctive aspects of set dancing are "dancing from the knees down" without excessive movement of the arms or upper body and "the vertical floor tapping movements" which differ from the "propulsive, elevated" style of Irish figure dancing.
Eileen O'Doherty, author of Set Left • Set Right, describes set dancing as "vigour under complete control," and she encourages a dancing style "avec quelque negligence" (i.e. dancing that never looks effortful).
A small advertisement in The Celtic Connection marked the beginning of the Vancouver Irish
Set Dancing Group. The response was immediate. Subsequently, everything has fallen neatly into place.
The Musicianers, a traditional folk group led by S6amus Duggan, offered to play for the dance classes. A natural conv plimentary partnership was established and both groups now share the Anza Club venue for simultaneous music rehearsals and dance classes.
Plans are now in progress for a weekend set dancing workshop and c6ilf, led by Cairan O'Mahony and the Greenwood Kitchen Dancers of Seattle. On February 5, the group made their debut with The Musicianers, at a Rogue Folk Club events at the W.I.S.E. Club. Performances by the dancers and musicians were well received. The accomplished folk singer and guitar player, David Esseg, "sang their praises" more than once during the night and expressed delight in the presence of the Celtic traditions as his support act.
Given the large attendance at the recent chilis in Vancouver, it is not surprising that the launch of the Vancouver Set Dancing Group has been marked by enthusiastic participation and a flurry of activity.
In his book called Irish Dances, Terry Moylan, a leader of the current revival in Irish set dancing, reiterates that "...dancing is about enjoyment and not about political or cultural stances,"
He hopes that those who use his book ...will go on to dance sets simply because they are enjoyable for their own sake. When danced well, they afford their own pleasure to dancers and onlookers alike."
Here in Vancouver it seems his hopes for Irish set dancing are being materialized.
As one of the proud possessors of a unique ana remarkable heritage or national music and dance, it is my privilege to share the traditions with others.
Mile bufochas. A thousand thanks to the dancers and musicians for their co-operation, enthusiasm, humour and good company.
To potential participants we say: Beidh fdilte romhaibh (you will be welcomed) and:
"Don't wait till you're a garden, To grow life's favourite flowers True friendship blossoms not in soil, But happy well-spent hours." (Doherty, 1989)
For further information on set dancing classes, contact Jacinta French at (604) 733-2363.