Irish Music & Dance Association

Celebrating Irish Traditions Since 1983

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St. Patrick's Day Pajama Party

 2021


A Virtual Children's Stage


An Authentic Irish Celebration for the Whole Family!


The Irish Music and Dance Association is delighted to welcome one and all to our COVID Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Pajama Party 2021.  We won’t be welcoming thousands of our friends to historic Landmark Center this year – it just isn’t safe to be together – yet!

IMDA will be bringing you some of your old favorites – bands that have been helping us ring the rafters in Landmark Center for many years – and some newer bands, as well.  And there will be plenty of Irish dancing, too.  We’ll spice things up a bit with some fine Irish theatre from the Out of the Mist Celtic Theatre.

Three sets of entertainment are planned – a morning set, a mid-day set and an afternoon set.  So grab your coffee, tune it here on the IMDA website, IMDA’s own new YouTube Channel or the IMDA Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/IMDA.MN) and join us for a full day of wonderful entertainment featuring our own local talented musicians, dancers and actors.


The Morning Set – beginning at 8:30 am CST, with Teresa McCormick, Mistress of Ceremonies

  • Hudson Irish Dance Academy, directed by Corey Hudson. 
  • Rúpálaí- Chad McAnally, Siobhán Dugan, Buddy Ferrari.
  • Rince na Gréine Irish Dance (Dance of the Sun), directed by Lauren Adams-Plehal.
  • Student Ensembles from the Center for Irish Music. 
  • Green Fire Irish Dancers, directed by Elaine Murray and Ed Koehne. 
  • Out of the Mist Celtic Theatre presents “The Doolittle Monologues” from Pygmalion by George Bernhard Shaw. 
  • IMDA’s St. Patrick’s Day “Dance Along” - Sort of like a “Sing Along” but with dancers!  Dancers from many of our wonderful local Irish dance schools and performance groups are dancing the traditional set dance “St. Patrick’s Day” – each safely in their own home or studio, mashed together to showcase the dance and the dancers.  Dance along at home if you like!  (Thanks so much to Cormac O’Se and Brian Sullivan of FeisTunes for sharing the music!)

The Mid-Day Set – beginning at 12:30 pm CST, with John Dingley, Master of Ceremonies

  • Shamrock School of Irish Step Dance, directed by Rachel Knutson, TCRG 
  • Tom Dahill and Ginny Johnson
  • Eilís Academy, directed by Liz Hines, TCRG.
  • Clairseach -  Ann and Charlie Heymann.
  • O’Shea Irish Dance, directed by Riverdance original Cormac O’Se, TCRG. 
  • Out of the Mist Celtic Theatre presents monologues from “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “An Ideal Husband,” both by Oscar Wilde.
  • The Hounds of Finn - Featuring Michelle McGregor, Pete McCauley and friends.
  • A Salute to IMDA’s Decade of Dance recipients for 2021 and 2020 - IMDA’s Day of Irish Dance usually includes presentation of IMDA’s Decade of Dance Awards, given to dancers who devote 10 years of their lives to their study of Irish dance.  While the dancers will not be on stage at Landmark Center this year, we’ll present the dancers via photographs, favorite dance memories and some video.

The Afternoon Set – beginning at 5:30 pm CST – with Paul McCluskey, Master of Ceremonies

  • North Star Irish Dance, directed by Beth Pitchford. 
  • The Two Tap Trio - Featuring Norah Rendell, Brian Miller and Mary Vanorny. 
  • Rince na Chroi (Dance of the Heart), directed by Katie Stephens Spangler.   Music by the Two Tap Trio.
  • Out of the Mist Celtic Theatre presents selections from “The Time I Lost in Wooing” by Thomas Moore and “An Irish Engagement” by Walter Watt.
  • Dórain -  Alexander Dove Lempke, Cara Weggler, Iain Dove Lempke and Mattie Ernst.
  • Pub Sing with the Eddies - Chuck Lentz, Mark Richardson, and Tom Welna. 
  • Onórach Mulhern Geraghty School of Irish Dance (OMG)
  • Dunquin -  Featuring Sherry and Don Ladig and Rosa Wells.
  • Rince Nua Irish Dance, directed by Erin Cooney. 
  • Out of the Mist Celtic Theatre presents a selection of Irish Blessings.

Tom Dahill & Ginny Johnson
Dorain - Iain Dove Lempke, Cara Weggler, Mattie Ernst, Alexander Dove Lempke
The Eddies - Tom Welna, Mark Richardson, Chuck Lentz

A Virtual Children's Stage


IMDA has some very special entertainment planned for our littlest audience members.  We would love to have everyone join us at historic Landmark Center on St. Patrick’s Day – we’ll have to make do this year.

We will be offering a special Children’s Set, available all day long – on-demand here on the IMDA website (www.imda-mn.org), on our own YouTube Channel and on the IMDA Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/IMDA.MN).  These are all interactive offerings, designed to have the wee ones up on their feet and singing and dancing!

We know that if the kids like something, they enjoy seeing it again.  So these performances will be available on-demand, all day.  So tune in whenever you have some time.


A Celtic Cutie having fun!
  • Celtic Cuties. Join Center for Irish Music and Early Childhood Music educator Alisa Mee to learn Celtic Cuties rhymes, finger plays, and songs. This is a great way to introduce the little ones to Irish music and movement. This is a sample of the classes offered for little ones 0 to 4 through the Center for Irish Music. 

  • Music and Dance with Danielle Enblom (dancer, fiddler and ethnochoreologist).  Danielle has taught, performed, and studied with artists and via institutions around the world.  Kids will love getting up on their feet to learn some new songs and dances.

  • Celtic Music Party with Laura MacKenzie and Ross Sutter.  An interactive session inviting kids 5 - 12 to experience musical performances, get involved through creative activities and movement, and learn about the people, cultures, and sounds behind the music. Kids are encouraged to make their own pizza box bodhran (drum) beforehand and play along.  This presentation is one of the KidsJam workshops offered by the Schubert Club.

Danielle Enblom
Laura MacKenzie & Ross Sutter
 
The Irish Music and Dance Association is a 501(c)(3) organization.