Jigs And Reels – Preview
The 11th January 2013, wasan extravaganza of Irish dance, with a balance of esteemed local Irish dancers and the equally enthusiastic students and teachers, who have been taught from scratch. They came together to raise money for the Abbey’s Zambian Immersion Project in the first ever ‘Abbey Jigs and Reels.’
The project helps to fund educational initiatives set up by the school in Zambia and will see a group of staff and pupils go to Zambia in March to help with these projects.
Rehearsals took place on a Monday evenings and throughout the Christmas break, with participants being put through their paces by Helena Hughes. Helena has kindly given us the time and patience to spearhead this event. She has placed a real emphasis on coaching the participants in the basic steps and teaching the routines and dances in line with the event. Peter O’Hagan’s two left feet and Stephen Jennings galloping through routines are a far cry from the skip two – threes being executed to perfection by the likes of Peter Reel. Pat O’Neill has added a French flavour to the dancing despite not knowing his right from his left.
Paul McKeever has tried dancing before and now feels that he was indeed, born to dance – the man can’t be stopped. Annette Elmore, Orla Hughes and Catriona McGrath, despite being the chatters of the group, are always ready to perform flawlessly. Ryan Hughes and his troop of lads, who have “done it all before”, are easing back into the swing of things. They have obviously put long hours into the art of dancing. Brendan Bell is our resident professional, along with Helena he will be leading the group routine. We thank him for giving us his time.
Participant and member of the Immersion group, Andrew McGivern, said: “As part of the Zambia team this year, I have heard from past students about how saddening the experience of Zambia can be. The work we do here, no matter how small or even fun, as it may seem in this case, always has the driving motive for making a difference and providing hope in Zambia. All the money raised will go directly to funding projects out in Zambia.
We hope you all can make it to the Jigs and Reels night. It will be a bit of dancing, a raffle and most importantly a great night out. Tickets are £10 and there will be food served on the night.
So that’s January 11th 2013, come on down, it’s a great chance to support a wonderful cause, see your friends, fellow teachers or family members getting up on stage and breaking the boundaries of what can be called Irish Dancing.”
Step aside Flatley, The Abbey’s in town!
The Official Line up:
Annette Elmore (Teaching staff)
