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Learn Sean-Nós Dancing: Three Basic Irish Reel Steps

Learn Sean-Nós Dancing: Three Basic Irish Reel Steps — video by St Patrick's Festival Play · 35:56

Video by St Patrick's Festival on YouTube · Open on YouTube

Connemara sean-nós dancer Emma O'Sullivan, who has toured the world with this dance and teaches it online, teaches the Connemara basic step, heel and toe, and stamp and lift with counts, then dances them as a sequence to reels. Relaxed, close to the floor and great fun.

  • 36 min
  • Beginner
  • High impact (jumping)
  • No equipment

Good forDancing for funFun workouts

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Step by step 11

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Listen to the reel rhythm and tap your feet along: one two three. 3:20
  2. Connemara basic step: a tiny hop, then three stamps, right side then left. 4:05
  3. Count it in eights: hop one two three, hop two two three, up to eight. 6:40
  4. Dance the basic step to the reel The Wise Maid, pausing to listen. 9:35
  5. Heel and toe: heel in front, sweep along the floor, tip behind, then the basic. 11:33
  6. Heel and toe with the music. 16:20
  7. Link eight bars of the basic step straight into the heel and toe. 17:25
  8. Stamp and lift: twist the stamp, lift the foot no higher than the other ankle. 19:03
  9. Stamp and lift with the music, trying different lifts. 24:15
  10. Walk through the whole sequence: basic, four heel and toes, four stamp and lifts. 27:22
  11. Dance the full sequence to the reel, through to the end of the tune. 30:47

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Keep the hop tiny and the feet close to the floor
  • Keep your feet near each other: neat, tidy dancing
  • In the stamp and lift, lift no higher than the other ankle

What it works

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Joints it uses 2 takes load

  • Knees takes loadhop and three stamps in every step
  • Ankles & feet takes loadsmall hops and stamps throughout
  • Hips movesheel-and-toe sweeps, stamp and lift
  • Jumping or hopping. Impact goes through the ankles, knees and hips.

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

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Video by St Patrick's Festival; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety