Irish Skye Stepdancers

05/12/2015

For us...it was ghillies.

05/05/2015

Old time Irish dance--just having fun together. In some ways, things have drastically changed, but at their heart, not much.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/the-history-show/programmes/2014/0316/601799-the-history-show-sunday-16-march-2014/?clipid=1510889

04/17/2015

Here are those photos from the St. Patrick's Day Bash I promised!

04/14/2015

Happy Spring!

04/07/2015

This is a scene from the Irish dance documentary Jig. If you've never seen it, you should! Our dance group hasn't done anything in the competitive feis world of Irish dance--we like to stay with local performances--but the quality of the dance and grit of the students shown on Jig still inspire us.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jig-The-Irish-Dancing-Documentary/148245595204375

03/26/2015

March is coming to a close, and it's already been several weeks since our performance at the Ronald McDonald House St. Patrick's Day bash! I hope to soon put up some pictures of our time there.

We also had a small St. Patrick's Day party for our class on St. Pat's evening. We exchanged presents, ate lots of food and hung out. We have way too much fun together. XD

We've been taking it easy after our St. Patrick's Day festivities, but I think we're almost ready to hit the dance floor full steam again.

02/11/2015

We are going to be dancing at the Southern Appalachian Ronald McDonald House St. Patrick's Day bash! March 6th, in the evening.

The Ronald McDonald houses are a cause worth supporting. They house the families of hospitalized children while the child is receiving medical care. It means a lot to these families to be close to their child and to have a home-like place to stay. I hope you all can make it on the 6th!

We provide a temporary “home-away-from-home” for families of children with serious medical needs throughout the region. We serve families in forty counties located throughout Northeast TN, Southwest VA and Eastern KY, covering a 125-mile radius.

02/10/2015

It turns out that we will NOT be able to make it to the Big Stone Gap ceilidh for St. Patrick's Day this year. To perform at least. Some of us may go to dance as visitors.

Still go if you can!

01/20/2015

Whenever we have a chance to perform, we always dance some Ceili pieces. At just about all the Celtic Festivals we attend there is usually a Ceili later that evening. What is Ceili exactly?
Here's a short explanation from http://www.bbc.co.uk/irish/articles/view/741/english/

"Social Dancing
As many people know, céilís were of great significance to Irish people, serving an important social function for meeting friends and exchanging news back in the days before television, radio – originally they did not necessarily include dancing. Dancing often took place at crossroads when the weather was fair, as this was a large square suitable for the group dances. Today the meaning of the word céilí has evolved to focus on the dancing, and céilís thrive as a social events for dancing enthusiasts and tourists.
Set dancing is related to céilí dancing, but is more structured and formal. It usually comprises four couples dancing arranged steps to set music on flat feet, differing from step dancing which is performed on the balls of the feet. It is said that set dancing is based on the Quadrilles of the French court. "

Tá an Rince Gaelach faoi bhláth úr i measc an phobail le teacht Riverdance agus Lord of the Dance. Irish dancing has been enjoying renewed popularity in recent years, largely due to Irish dance stage shows like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.

01/14/2015

There's going to be another St. Patrick's Day celebration at Big Stone Gap this year! It's on March 13th. We hope to be there. Thank you, Jack Beck, for inviting us back!

01/14/2015

Happy New Year, everyone!

10/24/2014

Rince tri shoal ~ Dance through Life...