Irish Set Dancing

When I received an email a couple weeks back saying Irish Set Dancing classes were going to be offered, I knew I had to try it. Tonight, eight of us set out to conquer the dance and we had a blast in the process. The class took place on campus, in the InterFaith center and was taught by a very sweet, energetic woman who was originally from Georgia but has been living in Ireland for the past seven years. Irish Set Dancing is a big part of the Irish social scene, and can be found at many of the pubs in Dublin. She explained to us that it used to be one of the main ways for people in different parishes to get together and mingle, especially members of the opposite sex. She graced the dance floor while demonstrating the different moves, constantly reminding me of my two left feet.

Nonetheless, she taught us an entire set in one hour. We learned the Connemara Set, one of the easiest sets. Because the class consisted of seven girls and one boy, I was deemed the boy in my couple and learned the male part. (This may have been a blessing, as I'm realizing the man does not do as much work.) Throughout class, our hands were flying all over the place, trying to keep up with this new rhythm. We were all out of step at times, but we laughed despite our difficulties the entire class. In the final minutes, she turned on the music and we were able to complete the set, a big accomplishment for night one. We will have three more nights of class, every Wednesday until the program ends and I look forward to the upcoming challenges.

Here is an example of the Connemara Set. Just picture the people as a little older and in a pub, and you'll get the picture that was described to me tonight. These kids are pretty good though!