Time |
Pavilion Performance Stage - Site 12 |
10:00 AM |
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10:30 AM |
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11:00 AM |
Festival Style Dance Kate Spanos and Maggie Hensler-McGinnis |
12:00 PM |
Welcoming Ceremonies Parade of Clans and Nations; Living History Regiments; and Massed Bands Site 7 |
12:30 PM |
TIR NA NOG Irish Dance Troupe |
1:00 PM |
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1:30 PM |
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2:00 PM |
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3:00 PM |
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4:00 PM |
Jam / Dance Session Open to All |
5:30 PM |
Closing Ceremonies: Massed Bands - Site 7 |
6:30 PM |
Ceilidh - Off Site O'Gannigan's Irish Pub Pr. Frederick , MD |
Want to know more about the Pavilion Performance Stage?
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Susan Baker
Breton Dance Workshop 
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Susan Baker happily invites you to come learn about some of the easier traditional Breton spiral dances, along with a little history of the dances and Breton culture today. Join her on the dance stage for some "Celtic aerobics"!
Susan has danced at festivals in Brittany and has had the opportunity to hold dance workshops at many venues in the US. She has also been known to start an Andro line in unexpected places… Imagine hundreds of people in long lines that spiral in and out and around each other in an undulating sea of dancers, moving to the rhythm of Breton tunes. Andro, hanterdro, and gavotten ar menez are just a few of the mesmerizing spiral dances that are done in various forms throughout Brittany at Fest Deiz and Fest Noz (day and night festivals), bringing folks of all ages together in celebrations of community, culture, food, and drink. Want to know more about Breton culture today? The International Committee for the Defense of the Breton Language U.S. Branch (US ICDBL) is a nonprofit, all volunteer organization that informs Americans and the world about contemporary and traditional Breton culture, contributions, and history. It helps support the DIWAN (Breton language immersion) schools in Brittany through newsletter subscriptions to Bro Nevez (New Country) and donations. For more information, email Lois Kuter at [email protected], visit us on the web at www.icdbl.org, Susan will be performing on the Pavilion Performance Stage at 10:00a.m. Back to Pavilion Schedule |
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Kaitlyn Likas
"The Wild Irish Rose" 
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Kaitlyn Likas is an award-winning fiddler and Irish/Scottish Highland dancer based in the Washington, DC area. From an early age, her Mom Peggie ingrained in Kaitlyn and her siblings an awareness and appreciation of their cultural heritage. Peggie Casey-Likas was born in Mitchelstown, County Cork. As a first-generation Irish American, Kaitlyn makes a point to be active in her local Irish community in Virginia, DC, and Maryland and fully embraces her Irish heritage.
Kaitlyn began her dancing career at the age of 4, learning Scottish Highland dance because Irish was sadly not available in Southern Maryland where she grew up. She later was taught Irish dance in high school from both the Hunt and Broesler Schools in Annapolis and Baltimore, winning various competitions and regional championships throughout her competitive dancing career. Kaitlyn was presented with the “Best Maryland Dancer” award at the age of 14. In high school, Kaitlyn and her sister Jessica created the Irish sister music and dance group, "The Wild Irish Roses." Kaitlyn and her sister won “First Place Performing Arts” in the 2017 Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day parade. Kaitlyn is a self-taught fiddler with humble beginnings as a classically trained violinist. After playing classical for over 10 years, Kaitlyn took on the new challenge of teaching herself the fiddle. Since then, she has not looked back! Kaitlyn is the only female fiddler to perform in the Baltimore-based Irish punk band, The Charm City Saints. The Charm City Saints contributed music to various Irish films and documentaries. Kaitlyn has also recently performed with Black 47, O'Malley's March, Celtica, The Fighting Jameson's, Capital Celtic, The Devil’s Tailors, The Thistle & The Rose, Baltic Celtic, and The Gobshites. Ms. Likas was a featured fiddler in Celtic Life International Magazine in 2018. She was also featured in Fair Lady Fiddlers “Female Fiddler of the Day.” Since starting "The Wild Irish Roses," Kaitlyn has performed at several Irish/Celtic festivals on the east coast, including ShamrockFest. She has graced the stages of The Kennedy Center, various festivals and highland games, restaurants, and pubs. One of the highlights of Kaitlyn's career was performing before Her Excellency, Former Ambassador to Ireland, Anne Anderson in Kingstowne, VA. Kaitlyn represented Washington DC in the 2022 Mary from Dungloe International Arts Festival in Donegal, Ireland. She was the “Washington DC Mary” for a few years due to Covid. While in Donegal, she proudly represented the DC area performing and speaking at various events and venues. She was interviewed by RTÉ’s Raidió na Gaeltachta and Donegal’s Highland Radio. Kaitlyn also spent a great deal of her time up north touring around with Irish music superstar Daniel O’Donnell. Kaitlyn has served as a member of the Culture Caucus at the Kennedy Center, representing Ireland. She performed eight times for the Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture at the Kennedy Center. Recently, Kaitlyn performed for Taoiseach Leo Varadakar for an Ancient Order of Hibernians reception in Washington, DC. She has also performed for former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Ohio for Ancient Order of Hibernians President Danny O’Connell’s Testimonial and Presentation of the Sean MacBride Humanitarian Award. In 2021, she was invited to perform for Vice President Kamala Harris for a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at the Vice President’s residence. This year, Kaitlyn was honored as one of Irish Echo’s 40 under 40 in New York City. This prestigious event celebrates the achievements of Irish and Irish Americans who have made significant contributions in their respective fields before turning forty. The honorees represent a diverse range of professions and backgrounds, showcasing the talent and impact of Irish America across the nation. Ms. Likas is very excited to be returning to her hometown festival to perform! She has fond memories of competing in highland dance at the Celtic Festival of Southern Maryland! Kaitlyn will be performing on the Pavilion Performance Stage at 10:30a.m. Back to Pavilion Schedule |
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KATE SPANOS
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Dr. Kate Spanos is a dancer, educator, scholar, communicator, and arts administrator. She is interested in storytelling, community building, and looking at dance as a means of social change. She will be demonstrating the Festival Style of Irish Dance at the Celtic Festival this year. Festival style Irish dance is a form associated with Northern Ireland that is distinct from the “feis” style step dancing that emerged in the mid-twentieth century. The style was pioneered by Patricia Mulholland, a fiddler and dancer, who created a “folk ballet” in the 1930s to appeal to both Catholics and Protestants in the Belfast area. Influenced by Scottish and Irish step dancing, festival style is known for its slow, elegant, and controlled slip jigs and set dances. Creating “light and shade” in one’s dancing is an important aspect of the style, with graceful leg lifts, swoops, and spins. In competition, festival style dancers wear simple, traditional costumes without wigs or makeup. Watch Kate at 11:00a.m. on the Pavilion Performance Stage! Back to Pavilion Schedule |
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Rock Creek Morris Women
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DC's premier women's Morris side began as the "Foggy Bottom Women” in 1978. In 1979, under the leadership of Mary Chor, the original members split off from the Foggy Bottom Morris Men -- our brother team and dear friends to this day -- to become the Rock Creek Morris Women. We dance all over the Washington, D.C. area at events like the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival, Washington Folk Festival, Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, and the Takoma Park Folk Festival. You may also find us spontaneously performing around the neighborhoods of D.C. from Adams Morgan to Capitol Hill, by ourselves or with other local folk dance teams.
We regularly wander farther afield to participate in larger gatherings of Morris teams called "Ales." We've attended events in Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, Washington, Toronto, Ontario, and more! We've also toured parts of the UK in 1992, 2000, and 2016. RCMW celebrated our 40th anniversary in 2019. Join us as we continue to carry the Morris tradition into the coming years! The Rock Creek Morris Women are performing on the Pavilion Performance Stage at 1:30p.m. Back to Pavilion Schedule |
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The Greater Washington Ceili Club
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The Greater Washington Ceili Club (GWCC) is a non-profit organization, organized and incorporated in 1985, to promote traditional Celtic dance, music, and culture. The club sponsors, supports, and encourages ceilis, concerts, and other programs for the enjoyment of its members and the community at large. You are invited to become a member, and more fully participate in the following GWCC activities.
The Greater Washington Ceili Club will be performing on the Pavilion Performance Stage at 3:00p.m. Back to Pavilion Schedule |
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Shannon Dunne Dance
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Shannon Dunne Dance was created by acclaimed sean-nós dancer and concertina player, Shannon Dunne as a performing and educational resource for the old ways of Irish dancing. Shannon’s work with master dancers such as Róisín Ní Mhainín, Pádraig Ó hOibicín, Gearóid and Patrick Devane, to name but a few, has given her intimate access to the tight-knit sean-nós dance community and has afforded her a place among the top sean-nós dancers in North America. Her background in the Reggio Emilio educational philosophy shaped her approach to teaching and performance-making.
Shannon Dunne Dance will be performing on the Pavilion Performance Stage at 2:00p.m. Back to Pavilion Schedule |
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TIR NA NOG
Irish Dance Troupe 
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Tir na nOg (The Land of the Forever Young) Irish Dance Troupe performs throughout the Maryland region at festivals, fund raisers and retirement communities. The troupe’s name was selected in honor of Ireland’s legendary land of eternal youth. The group applies their varied dancing experiences to the traditional forms of Irish dance (country sets and sean nos). Woven throughout the performance is information about each dance, the music, the area of Ireland for which the dance is named along with an opportunity for the audience to learn a sean-nós step. Tir Na Nog will be performing on the Pavilion Performance Stage at 12:30p.m. Back to Pavilion Schedule |
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Baltic Celtic
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Baltic Celtic is comprised of Kaitlyn Likas (bio above) and John Bimbiras. Their music and dancing reflects their shared Irish/Lithuanian ancestry.
John Bimbiras is a guitarist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, MD. He has been active as a performer since the age of twelve, playing at prestigious venues throughout the DMV, NYC, and Austin, TX. His influences draw from a vast array of genres and styles including rock, jazz, blues, folk, Celtic, and Latin music. Currently, Bimbiras is also a Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of Texas at Austin. He has produced two albums of historically informed Dominican music: Rafael Petitón Guzmán: a Dominican Musical Treasure on the World Stage by the Dominican Studies Institute Orchestra and Del Burro al Subway by Sofrito y Su Melao. In Baltic Celtic, a new project put together with violinist Kaitlyn Likas, they explore their shared Irish and Lithuanian heritage through this musical collaboration. Baltic Celtic is on at 1:00p.m. on the Pavilion Performance Stage. Back to Pavilion Schedule |
