Steps in Time

by Flanagan, Kathleen M.

• ISBN13: 9780981492414
• ISBN10: 098149241X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-04
• Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Pr

Summary

In this first detailed history of Irish dance in the Irish diaspora, Kathleen Flanagan gives a fascinating account of the art form in Chicago, the city that is currently one of the global centers for Irish dance practice. From the first appearance of step dancers at Chicagors"s 1893 Worldrs"s Columbian Exposition to the emergence of world-renowned Chicago performers and choreographers such as Michael Flatley and Mark Howard, she depicts the teachers, schools, and performances that contributed to making Chicago an international center for Irish dance. Flanagan takes the reader on a journey that is distinctly Irish yet unmistakably American. Surrounded by and intersecting with a unique and complex set of cultural and political influences, Irish-Americans in Chicago took the lead in innovations within the dance form that eventually led to such groundbreaking productions as "Riverdance" and "Lord of the Dance."

Author Biography

Kathleen M. Flanagan is associate professor of theater at St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. She is a teacher of Irish dance certified by Irish Dancing Commission, Dublin.

Kathleen M. Flanagan is associate professor of theater at St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. She is a teacher of Irish dance certified by Irish Dancing Commission, Dublin.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. 5
First Steps: The Formation of Irish Dancing Clubs and Schools, 1893-1909	p. 5
The World's Columbian Exposition	p. 5
The Gaelic League	p. 9
The Irish Music Club of Chicago	p. 10
Dancing Clubs and Contests	p. 12
Encouraging the Child Dancer	p. 16
Irish Dancing Takes Shape	p. 19
Keeping Time: Early Performances, Competitions, and Feiseanna, 1910-1929	p. 23
The Feis as Stage Spectacle	p. 23
The First Modern Feis, 1912	p. 28
The Gaelic Juniors	p. 32
The Gaelic Feis, 1913	p. 33
The McNamara School	p. 35
The End of an Era	p. 39
Step About: Chicago Promotes National Connections, 1930-1952	p. 45
The 1933 WorldÆs Fair Irish Village	p. 45
Pageant of the Celt	p. 55
The Shannon Rovers	p. 58
The Mummer's Club	p. 63
Pat Roche and the Harp and Shamrock Club	p. 64
Commercial, Parish, and Community Sponsors	p. 69
First Chicago Feis, 1945	p. 75
The Chicago Feis, 1946-1952	p. 77
Remembering Pat Roche	p. 88
New Steps: Expanding the Boundaries, 1953-1989	p. 93
Irish Dancing Teachers Commission of America (IDTCA)	p. 93
The New Style	p. 96
Chicago Goes to Ireland	p. 99
The Dennehy School	p. 101
New Competitions, New Teachers	p. 103
Irish Dancing Teachers Association of North America (IDTANA)	p. 104
Certifying Teachers	p. 105
The Midwest Oireachtas	p. 107
Adult Ceili Dancing	p. 110
Chicago's First World Champion	p. 112
Chicago's Irish Day	p. 116
A New Generation	p. 119
Staging New Traditions: Beyond Competition	p. 121
Michael Flatley	p. 121
Trinity Irish Dance Company	p. 124
Innovation in Irish Dance	p. 128
Trinity and Sean Curran	p. 130
Appendices
Overview of Irish Dance	p. 135
History of Irish Dance Costume in Chicago	p. 139
Notes	p. 147
Index	p. 155
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