Blackstone River Theatre will offer a 6-week series of Beginner AND Continuing Beginner Irish step dance for adults classes with Kevin Doyle. Classes will be held on Mondays, April 8, 15, 22 (week off) and May 6, 13, and 20. The Beginner level classes will be 6:30-7:20 pm and the continuing beginner level classes will be 7:30-8:30 p.m. The beginner class is geared towards total beginners (or adults who want/need to refresh their memory and make sure they get the foundation steps of Irish dance in their muscle memory!) Both sessions need a minimum of 9 students, with a maximum of 15. Fee is $150 per student for the 6-week session. Pre-payment necessary!
Explore some close-to-the-ground rhythms of beginner Irish step dance with acclaimed dancer and instructor Kevin Doyle as you will learn some steps of the jigs and reels that his mother brought with her from County Roscommon. The class is designed to be low impact and lots of fun. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing. No special shoes are need for these beginner level workshops. Please understand that it is expected that any dance student (adults or teens or children) usually takes 2-3 beginner level sessions before they move on to a continuing beginner level, especially when time has passed since you last took a class. This is because it is SO IMPORTANT to get the basic steps and rhythms REALLY down in your head so you can more easily and confidently learn more advanced steps in future classes.
Kevin Doyle is a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow. He achieved this highest honor awarded to an American traditional artist as a dancer devoted to and inspired by steps brought to the United States by his Irish born mother in the the 1930s. A lifelong dancer and performer, Kevin was a U.S. Champion Irish step dancer in his early competitive years, and has been entertaining audiences ever since with his traditional style of “close to the ground” rhythms and intricate foot work as an artist, a choreographer, producer, and teacher. He was a long-time member of Pendragon and currently leads Kevin Doyle’s Roscommon Soles while being a guest dancer with several internationally-known Irish groups. Visit www.kevindoyledance.com