Musical Feet! Volume 2The Next Step
Sean-nós Irish Dance Instruction
- Music by Armand Aromin and Benedict Gagliardi
“Kieran’s Musical Feet videos guide you in finding your own percussive voice within the rich sean-nós tradition. Her remarkable ability to break down complex rhythm patterns, coupled with her profound musicality, inspire new and experienced dancers alike to savor, explore and create.”
—Elizabeth MacDonald, Re-Jigged Festival, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
“Jordan has a special gift for teaching. The students of hers I’ve met speak of her glowingly and her abilities shine through in this video. The lessons are compact but systematic and her natural directness with the camera conveys a confidence that the users of this video can really “get” the steps she’s sharing.
She has a beautiful, relaxed style, but one of the most impressive things in the video is how apparent the melody is in her footwork. It is very easy to hear the tunes in her feet. And speaking of tunes, she has a pair of outstanding musicians joining her here. Armand Aromin (fiddle; he’s also a fiddle maker arominviolins.com) & Benedict Gagliardi (concertina; thevoxhunters.com) provide excellent music and lift here, as evident in Jordan’s dancing.
Jordan’s goal is for her students not to dance like her, but to dance like themselves and this DVD presents the tools necessary to achieve this in a friendly, engaging and accessible way. If you’re interested in dance, I highly recommend you check out this DVD, there is a lot to appreciate.”
—Daniel T. Neely, Irish Echo
“Great sound quality, picture quality and break down of the steps. There was a lot of preparation beforehand, which shows in the final product. The sound quality from the steps is excellent, and music is also first class.”
—Aidan Vaughan
“I love The Next Step! I am on episode three right now, and your teaching is so clear and the pacing so good. I play the Irish harp and concertina — but have had no dance experience before this — and I find I can easily follow along. My harp teacher encouraged me to learn Irish dance to get another outlook on the rhythm when playing dance tunes. I would recommend this to any Irish musician looking to improve their skills. Thanks for keeping this beautiful tradition vibrant and active.”
—Mary-Kate Lee
In Musical Feet! Volume 2: The Next Step, Boston-based dancer Kieran Jordan brings you an in-depth instructional video on sean-nós Irish dancing. With six chapters of jigs, and an additional chapter of reels, this video series invites students of all ages to learn, practice, and experience the joy of rince ar an sean-nós — “dancing in the old style.” The video includes both traditional and original steps that progress from basic rhythmic movements to more advanced choreography. With live music, close-ups of the footwork, and clear instruction from an experienced teacher, this video aims to inspire dancers everywhere — to develop a confident ability to make rhythm, improvise, and participate in the art of sean-nós dance.
Features
- Traditional and original sean-nós steps, with choreography by Kieran Jordan
- Six chapters of jigs (four steps in each chapter)
- One chapter of reels (four steps)
- Live footage from Kieran’s Boston sean-nós dance class
- Traditional Irish music on fiddle and concertina from Armand Aromin and Benedict Gagliardi
- Shot in Cambridge and Quincy, Massachusetts in June, 2015
- Video production and design by Al Davis and Robin Friedman, Visual Velocity
Musicians’ Bios
Armand Aromin is a musician, composer, and violin maker and repairer based in Providence, Rhode Island. As a teen, he learned much of his Irish music from Jimmy Devine and Patrick Hutchinson, and subsequently spent six of his post-secondary-school years soaking up the wealth of traditional music that Boston has to offer. Armand and Benedict have been making music together for the past three years, and formed the duo The Vox Hunters in 2014.
Benedict Gagliardi is a multi-instrumentalist and singer from Berlin, Connecticut. His fondness for traditional music began in his mid-teens, with American folk and sea songs, which quickly lead to Irish music. Benedict has never received formal lessons on concertina, but owes much of his style and repertoire to many encouraging Connecticut musicians who taught him tunes over the years. Though he can’t dance a step himself, he takes great satisfaction in supplying tunes for the musical feet of others. When not playing music, Benedict is out in the woods catching insects.