Lori Madden
4:00-5:00 PM
Beginner Softshoe
Ages 5-6
*6 Week Session*
$200, Member price $180
For the absolute beginner to Irish dance. No special gear needed. Beginners can dance in bare feet or ballet flats (no heels or thick soles) and comfortable clothing that allows for free movement and flexibility of legs and feet.
Mimi Vidaver Davis
4:00 - 5:00 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
* For students that have taken at least one semester of Irish dance. Dancers will continue to expand their repertoire of steps while working to improve style, technique, rhythm and timing. No special gear needed. Advanced beginners can still dance in bare feet or ballet flats. Comfortable clothing that allows for free movement of legs and feet is a must!
Brenda Cox
4:30-5:30 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
This class is appropriate for all students up to 15, new or experienced. During the semester students will explore technique, ear training, music reading, rhythm skills, beginning music theory and terminology.
Note: Harp classes meet for 6 weeks of Zoom classes followed by 6 weeks of in-person classes
First 6 classes over Zoom September 19th – October 24th
Second 6 week in-person classes October 31st -December 6rd
Brenda Cox
5:30-6:30 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
For students ages 15 through adult who are new to the harp or have been playing three or fewer years. Music reading ability helpful but not required. We will explore repertoire that will build basic harp skills such as technique, basic theory as it applies to the repertoire, and ear training. And most importantly, we will have fun with it.
Note: Harp classes meet for 6 weeks of Zoom classes followed by 6 weeks of in-person classes
First 6 classes over Zoom September 19th – October 24th
Second 6 week in-person classes October 31st -December 6th
Matthew O'Donnell
4:30-5:00 PM
12 Weeks, Ages 7-13
$200 (members pay $180)
For kids completely new to the instrument. Kids will learn the basics of 4-string tenor banjo or mandolin in the Irish style: how to hold and play the instrument, how to read tablature, and how to play simple melodies. Students may bring either tenor banjo or mandolin to the class.
Matthew O'Donnell
5:00-6:00 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
For students who have some experience playing a stringed instrument, and would like to apply their knowledge to accompanying or “backing” Irish tunes at sessions and in groups. In this class you will learn basic strumming patterns for Irish reels, jigs, and other common tunes, chord patterns used in traditional backing, and how to effectively back in a session.
The material in this class focuses on chording stringed instruments such as acoustic guitar, bouzouki and octave mandolin, but players of any instrument are welcome to take the class.
5:00 - 6:00 PM
Free & By permission*
BRIMS’ Traditional Music Ensemble (Trad) is an opportunity for Irish musicians (teens and adults), within the BRIMS community, to showcase their skills in and around Charlottesville. The Trad Ensemble functions as the public face of BRIMS, playing at local venues and providing community outreach in keeping with BRIMS’ status as a non-profit arts organization. Trad Ensemble allows members to hone the craft of musical performance by encouraging participants to arrange sets of tunes, play for and collaborate with dancers, and build a general comfort around interacting with an audience. Ensemble members will work with ensemble leaders to develop a well-crafted set list that can be used in a variety of performance settings.
Please contact Lori Madden at [email protected] for more information and specific details regarding guidelines for musicians.
Fiona Balestrieri
5:00 - 6:00 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
Sean-nós or “old-style” dancing is an improvised percussive dance style that shares roots with flatfooting, clogging, and modern Irish hard shoe. In this class, you will learn the “basic” foot rhythms of Jigs and Reels and build a repertoire of “steps.”
Carolyn Ward
5:00-5:30 PM
12 Weeks
$200 (BRIMS members pay $180)
This 30-minute class is for experienced hardshoe dancers. We will be focusing on Treble Jig content this semester.
Carolyn Ward
5:30-6:30 PM
12 Weeks
$200 (BRIMS members pay $180)
This class is for more experienced softshoe dancers. We will be exploring Slip Jigs this semester and focusing on standard technique/drills.
Carolyn Ward
6:30-7:30 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
This class is for teens and adults that have never danced hardshoe before or have limited experience. This semester, we will be learning the basic steps of dancing in hardshoes. Pending timing, we will work our way up to learning a treble reel step.
Matthew O'Donnell
6:00-7:00 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
For the absolute beginner on bodhran. Drums provided if needed. In this class you will learn how to hold and play the bodhran drum, the basic rhythm for accompanying Irish reels, jigs, polkas, and other common tunes, how to use accents to enliven tunes, and how to play bodhran in a session.
Fiona Balestrieri
6:00-7:00 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360) For students having completed one or more semesters of sean-nós dance class or by permission of the instructor
Alex Davis
6:00-7:00 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
Come join us in learning new tunes to expand your personal tune library and build your confidence in playing in a session. We will learn a range of Irish tunes while exploring rhythm, tempo, lift and how to play in a group. Players of all instrument types are welcome, though basic proficiency on an instrument is expected. We will learn tunes primarily by ear, though sheet music can be provided on request.
Mimi Vidaver-Davis
6:30-7:30 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
This class will introduce students to the basic building blocks of Irish soft-shoe dancing, including hop-1-2-3’s, 7’s, spring 2-3’s, and basic steps to the jig and the reel. Each class will involve warm-ups and drills designed to build strength and endurance, the introduction and practice of basic steps and movements, and, eventually, the opportunity to put those steps and movements into the context of group dances or class-created arrangements. No previous dance experience required, but be prepared for an excellent cardio workout!
Matthew O'Donnell
7:00-8:0 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
For students who have some experience playing the bodhran drum, and can play the basic patterns for reels and jigs. Drums provided if needed. This class will cover more advanced techniques including syncopated rhythms, triplets and left hand tone-changing, and how to use these techniques to craft unique rhythms that complement Irish tunes.
Fiona Balestrieri
7:00 - 8:00 PM
12 Weeks
$380 (BRIMS members pay $360)
In this class we join in a vast and diverse oral tradition of song that links Ireland to its many diasporas. We will build a repertoire of songs in Irish and English, and use them to explore vocal ornamentation and harmony singing. As we sing, we will also work on relaxing the tension that many of us bring to singing through deep breathing and mindfulness. I hope that each one of you will come out of the class your own versions of the songs we learn and the heart to sing them with confidence in the shower, the pub, or wherever songs are sung.
