Bringing dancers and musicians from around the globe into a virtual space to hone the skills and practice of Irish traditional music and dance.
The Virtual Woodshed is an online community that provides support, accountability, and camaraderie for musicians and dancers interested in deepening their musicianship and exploring the relationship between Irish traditional music and sean-nós dance.
The Virtual Woodshed began as a way to support dancers and musicians who wanted to develop their voice in sean-nós dancing, but lived far away from instructors or social gatherings.
Suddenly, in March 2020, we all lived in isolation. At that point, the program changed to help people make the most of the time at home to uplevel their skills, repertoire, and technique. The idea was that when the sessions and céilís resumed, everyone would be more confident in their abilities.
A year later, the Virtual Woodshed has morphed into giving musicians and dancers opportunities to not only develop skills, but also collaborate with each other across instruments and disciplines.
PRAISE FOR THE VIRTUAL WOODSHED
“The Virtual Woodshed is a live synchronous learning space intended for musicians to practice the tunes of the week and for dancers to drill on steps related to that month's type of tunes. Instead of being a typical "sage on the stage" teaching a plethora of steps in a one to many format, Shannon Dunne serves as our expert "guide on the side" with innovative practice activities and challenging discussions.
My favorite part of The Virtual Woodshed is collaborating with musicians as we learn from each other in small group sessions, reinforcing that week's learning activity.
The weekly sessions and the related Facebook group provide a learning laboratory to share our experiments, our resources, and our revelations. Ideally, Irish sean nós dance is a conversation where both the musician and dancer are listening and responding to each other respectfully and joyfully: the Virtual Woodshed provides a safe and friendly environment for these conversations.
My dancing has improved and I have gained confidence by dancing online in these small conversational groups where I cannot copy the steps of another dancer. I recommend this course for any sean nós dancer with previous experience who wants to learn more than just where to put one's foot.”
- Kathy Fletcher, Morgantown WV
OFFERINGS/EVENTS/CURRICULUM
The Virtual Woodshed offers the following programs:
30 Tunes in 30 Days
30 Days of Phrasing
Virtual Woodshed Music/Dance classes
Workshops and Lectures with master players
Music/Dance retreats