Flashmob in city surprises shoppers with sean-nós dance
Stunned city shoppers sauntering along in the unseasonal sunshine were caught unawares by around 50 sean-nós dancers who launched into a seemingly spontaneous display of the freestyle dance in the world’s first sean-nós flashmob.
Organised to launch the 116th Oireachtas Festival at the end of the month, dancers travelled from as far away as Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and across Connemara to take part in the flashmob outside Tig Cóilí on Mainguard Street just after midday on Saturday.
With music by Johnny Óg Connolly, the first step was performed by Róisín Seoighe in her trademark red shoes before she was joined by up to 60 dancers at the pedestrian crossroads, aged between 5 and 80.
Bridie Ruane from Highfield Park, who runs a sean-nós school in Ballinasloe with her sister Martina Flanagan, brought five friends, three nieces and a sister-in-law along to take part.
“It was absolutely fabulous, absolutely fantastic. They had no idea what was happening. It wasn’t a bit obvious to anyone that the dancers were milling around before. We couldn’t have got better weather. It came across as if it was rehearsed but it wasn’t but it really worked,” she recalled yesterday.
The dancing lasted about eight minutes before the group dispersed as quickly as they had begun. See a short clip here
“A lot of the dancers were stopped by the public asking where they could got to classes. There’s a huge demand for sean-nós dancing for the last four years. It’s great publicity for it.”
Among the troupe was Emma O’Sullivan from Roundstone and Leitrim Rose Edwina Ní Eocháin, who brought 20 of her students with her.
Organisers believe this is the first sean-nós flashmob ever to take place, according to festival spokesperson Úna Ní Chárthaigh.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.