Friday Night Lights: Community Irish Dance Party!

About the event:
Irish dance has a long and joyful tradition of social dancing - getting together to move to live traditional music and connect. Here in Boston, we have a great history of Irish social "céilí" and "set" dancing - from the 1950's dance hall era on Dudley St. in Roxbury, to céilís during the folk revival in the 1970s and 80s, and still today with a thriving traditional music community in Greater Boston pubs, dance halls, and houses.

At our community dance party, Jackie will teach easy-to-follow, fun "céilí" dances. We'll start with a quick primer on the steps and footwork, and then we'll get moving with two-hand and group dances! We'll have live music by one of Boston's best button accordion players, Dan Accardi. And we'll also take a break from the céilí dancing to have a "Step About" - anyone who has a step to share, Irish or otherwise (!), can take a turn in the circle.

This dance party is open to all! No experience necessary, no partner required, and gender-free calling of all dances.

This event is part of the Friday Night Lights series and is held in Studio 7 on the ground floor of The Dance Complex.

About Jackie O'Riley/O'Riley Irish Dance:

Jackie O'Riley spent her formative dance years in the Irish set dancing community in Boston, MA. Over the past 20 years, she has ardently sought out old-style or traditional step dancing, sean-nós dance, and set dancing and is now a respected performer and teacher, with a unique repertoire that includes older steps she’s collected from masters and field footage, and original material she’s composed.

Jackie performs and teaches in the US, Canada, and Ireland, was an original member of the touring sean-nós dance show Atlantic Steps, and in 2018 performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin as part of Na Píobairí Uilleann's production, "The Sound of Ireland". She founded, directs, and teaches O’Riley Irish Dance, a unique, non-competitive dance program for kids and teens now in its 15th year, is the co-recipient of a 2017 and 2022 grant for choreographers through the Boston Foundation, and a 2021 Mass Cultural Council Fellowship in Choreography, and is a current recipient of a Live Arts Boston grant.

In 2019 she co-released a debut, first-of-its-kind visual album, From the Floor, and continues to work with quartet Eight Feet Tall. Above all, she believes in prioritizing musicality in dancing, being a part of the wider musical and traditional community, and maintaining the joy that drew her to the tradition in the first place.

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