Rinci Foirne Caillte: Volume I: Thirty Lost Figure Dances - Paperback

by Lauren Crowe-Mueller Adcrg (Editor), John Cullinane Sdcrg (Foreword by), James Mueller Adcrg (Author)

From the pages of history come 30 "lost" Irish figure dances, some of which have not been performed in over 100 years... Irish figure dancing is an unsung hero in the effort to preserve and promote Irish culture, language, music and dance, bringing together young and old, champion and casual enthusiast alike. Yet over the years figure dancing has suffered for want of a broader corpus than the 30 dances collected on the pages of "Ár Rincí Fóirne," a situation very much at odds with the variety and creativity displayed in the solo dancing. We are fortunate that early instructors and enthusiasts recorded a broad - though not exhaustive - corpus of Irish figure dances, many of which lay hidden in plain sight, undanced and unremembered, for over 100 years. This collection reintroduces to a modern audience 30 "lost" dances originally published from 1902 to 1950, covering the period from the late Gaelic revival to the first years of Irish independence.

Author Biography

James began Irish céilí dancing in his native Portland, Oregon, before going on to become an Irish dance champion and the first World-qualifier in Oregon. After touring with, and choreographing for, the show Dancing on Common Ground, James earned his instructor's certification (TCRG) and adjudicator's certification (ADCRG) through An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG) in 2003 and 2010, respectively. He now travels much of the year teaching workshops and judging feiseanna. In addition to writing and teaching Irish dance, James is a scholar in astrobiology, biospherics and space history. He currently lives in Portland with his wife and fellow adjudicator, Lauren, and their two children.