Dancer Advice

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The title of this video just about sums it up. While the lightning-quick footwork of traditional Irish dancing could never really be called easy to learn, this straightforward instructional tape does its best to be clear and simple. The instructor is Seamus Kerrigan, who runs the Kerrigan School of Traditional Irish Dance in Ireland. A trim, no-nonsense man, Kerrigan couldn’t be called a sparkling camera presence, but in this case, his unaffected style works for the beginner; none of that Riverdance-type flash. Kerrigan, accompanied by a couple of his dancers in a very modest-looking studio, slowly walks you through the basic steps of the light jig, the reel, and other steps. And he does it the only way most of us two-left-footed types can learn: by slowly repeating the pattern as he does it, counting each and every step, and doing it over and over, like you would in a class. You may find yourself walking with a little hop and hearing Kerrigan’s soft brogue counting 1, 2, 3 in your head–and if you do, that’s a great sign you’re on your way to high-stepping with the best of them. –Anne Hurley

Irish Dancing Made Easy