Workshop: How to Play the Spoons Well

Saturday February 21st, 3pm-4.30pm EST (NYC time)

In Person (NYC) AND on Zoom!

Sign-up and payment in advance is required!

In-Person:

at Pearl Studios, 500 8th Ave (35-36 Streets) Exact studio location will be sent via email

On Zoom:

Link will be sent via email

Sign-Up:

1. Send email to nynynol@yahoo.com with the following info:

Name, phone number, and please specify how you are attending:

a. In-Person

b. On Zoom

2. Cost: US$50 Please pay in advance via Venmo @nynynol or Zelle nynynol@yahoo.com

Who can Attend?

All ages and All ages welcome!

What to Bring:

Participants are encouraged to bring two spoons, but if you don’t have any spoons, they will be provided!

What you will Learn:

In this workshop you will learn how to accompany Irish music with just two spoons, by bringing to the fore the inherent rhythms in the music, including Niall’s two favorite things, syncopation and rhythmic variation.

Spoon playing is easy to do badly:

Here Niall will teach you how to play the spoons WELL!

All students will learn the basics, and some cool moves.

Advanced students will be shown additional moves and rhythms.

Instructor Spoons bio:

NIALL O’LEARY is a former All-Ireland and World Champion dancer from Dublin, Ireland. The Niall O’Leary School of Irish Dance has been community-building and training champions since 1995, and currently has locations in New York City, Philadelphia, the Mississippi coast, Miami in Florida, and Mexico. The school also offers video and Zoom classes in Irish dance and music worldwide.

O’Leary is an adjudicator and musician, playing piano-accordion, keyboards; spoons, bodhrán. He also teaches Irish mouth music, Irish whistling, Irish singing, sean-nós dancing, Irish language and body percussion at workshops across America. His Irish Dance Music CD ‘Can You Irish Dance to This???’ is available exclusively from his website. He provides Irish music and dance entertainment for events all over New York City.

He teaches every Summer at the Chicago School of Irish Music Summer Camp. Previously he has taught at Catskills Irish Arts Week, New York, Augusta Irish Week, West Virginia and at Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, Alaska.

He is the Director of the New York City Irish Dance Festival, held on the first Sunday in May each year.

For many years, he has been one of the top percussive improv dancers in the Irish cultural scene.

It is these same rhythms that he brings to his spoon playing.

Based in New York City for over twenty five years, this is the only the second time ever that he is teaching how to play the spoons in New York City.