Biography
Rónán Regan is a Traditional Irish Musician and Dancer, Composer and Choreographer from Salthill, Galway. He currently lives in Carrick-On-Shannon, Co. Leitrim where he is a primary teacher in the local Gaelscoil. In addition to this, Rónán is an instructor of music and dance. He wrote his thesis on the Leitrim style of music, specialising in the musical styles of Ben Lennon (Recipient of Civic Reception Award from Leitrim County Council in 2007 and TG4 Music Award, 2011) and Jim Connolly and completed his Masters in traditional music performance, with modules in sean-nós dance in University of Limerick, 2005. As Rónán now lives in Leitrim; he has the enjoyable priviledge of playing a regular tune with Ben Lennon following his weekly music and dance class in neighbouring Belleek, Co. Fermanagh. Rónán Regan - Music and Dance Performance
Rónán is known for his weaving, lyrical yet percussive fiddle style and his creative sean-nós dancing and has made appearances on various national television and radio stations including RTÉ (Ireland, 2012, 2006), TG4 (Ireland, 2004-12), NDR (Germany, 2009), the BBC (Northern Ireland, 2008 and England, 2006), and WGBH (US 2004).
As a sean-nós dancer Rónán captures the heart, humour and subtlety of traditional music and dances percussively to the essence of the tune. He performs extensively at events such as the Inis Bofin Set Dancing Festival, An tOireachtas, Conradh na Gaeilge, Dublin and in venues such as the National Concert Hall, the Cork Opera house and the Cutler Emerson Majestic Theatre in Boston. Rónán won the All-Ireland Fleadh (Cavan 2010) Sean-nós Dance Competition.
Rónán is also a discerning adjudicator of sean-nós dance and has adjudicated at The World Fleadh, The Cos Cos Sean-Nós festival and other key sean-nós dance competitions.
Rónán Regan - Instructional DVDs 'Dance Sean-nós'
Ronan helped to revitalise and expand the boundaries of sean-nós dance; bringing to it new audiences and practicioners; when he began touring and teaching in Europe and America (2002/3-12).
With Maldon Meehan, he made sean-nós dance more accessible still by bringing out the first instructional sean-nós dance DVD ever in 2005. Prompting a new generation of dancers to discover the magic of sean-nós dance.
".......one of the vanguard of people responsible for the revitalisation of this very Irish form of dance tradition."
Custy's Music, Ennis. Co. Clare. 2008
Their internationally acclaimed instructional DVD 'Dance Sean-nós' (2005) has so far sold in 17 Countries across the world and features as course material for various university programmes both in Ireland and abroad.
Rónán produced and directed his second instructional DVD 'Dance Sean-nós for Beginners' in 2009 which has been received to critical acclaim. It includes his popular 'ALPHABET OF STEPS' a technique which simplifies learning for the beginning dancer and 'STEP CREATION' which initiates the beginning dancer in the creative process; the essence of sean-nós dance. The new DVD also presents group workshops with members of the Shaylyn Dance Group, Co. Leitrim, including the finalist for the Rose of Tralee, Martha Gilheaney.
Rónán is currently working on his 3rd 'Dance Sean-nós' DVD which will incorporate many of his previously unseen sean-nós dance compositions- More details available soon at www.ronanregan.com/store.html
Rónán Regan - Sean-nós Dance Teacher
Rónán Regan is recognised as having revolutionized the teaching of sean-nós dancing with his 'ALPHABET OF STEPS' and 'STEP CREATION' techniques which he devised, developed and honed over years of teaching his craft. These techniques; presented on his critically acclaimed DVD 'Dance Sean-nós for beginners' (2009); allow the learner to engage in the process of creativity and improvisation, essential aspects of sean-nós dance. Many of Rónán's students have gone on to achieve fame as competent dancers and teachers in their own right. Amongst an illustrious list of Rónán's former students are Suzanne Leahy, Shannon Dunne, Alicia Guinn (taught in workshops in America and Ireland 2003-5); Tereza Bernardova (taught at the Prague International Summer Festival 2007); Emma O' Sullivan (taught at weekly classes in the Crane bar, Galway 2005/6), Mary Beth Taylor (taught at Feis na nGael Festivals 2011), and Alexey Popov (taught in Russia and Drumshanbo 2009-11).
"I attended improvers classes with Ronan Regan in 2006. The musicality and intricity of his footwork has continually inspired me as a dancer. My dancing is strongly influenced by his creative and fluid dance style. Ronan is a natural teacher with a wonderful relaxed and humorous teaching style. His love for sean-nós dance is infectious. Without doubt one of the finest sean-nós dancers in this country. A master of his craft."
Emma o Sullivan, August, 2010
Rónán offers sean-nós dance workshops throughout Ireland and abroad. He has provided tuition to all ages in educational centers' such as the Clann Resource Centre, Galway, the Ark Cultural Centre for children, Dublin and the Glór center in Ennis. He has also taught at numerous third level institutions including University Limerick, University Washington, Seattle, Evergreen State College, Olympia and the University of Wiscounsin, Milwaukee.
He is an on-going tutor at the Feis na nGael Festival, Dublin and at many annual events such as the Joe Mooney Summer School, Leitrim; Sean-nós Cois Life, Dublin; The Cos Cos Festival, Sligo; Errigle Arts Festival, Donegal; The John Joe Gordon Festival, Fermanagh and the Moscow Sean-nós Dance Festival, Russia.
"Known for his clear, concise teaching techniques and his ability to pass on this living tradition of Irish dance."
Sean-nós Milwaukee, 2007
Rónán Regan - Composition and Choreography
Credited with having a flair for lyrical composition Rónán has performed and taught many of his compositions in both Europe and America. Some of these compositions have also been recorded as well as performed for TV in Germany (NDR 2008) and in Ireland (TG4 2011) and for radio on Limerick's Live95FM(2004).
Rónán is currently working on a number of collaborative music projects incorporating his musical compositions.
A master of composing creative and exciting sean-nós dance steps; Rónán has passed on these steps informally or in the context of performance to dance collegues such as Ger Devane (Oireachtas winner, 2010), Keiran Jordan, Maldon Meehan and Mats Melin.
He has choreographed for stage, video and short film and many of his compositions are presented on the DVD 'Dance Sean-nós'.
A selection of Rónán's musical and dance compositions can be seen by following this link
In Spring 2006, as a choreographer he won the RTÉ / Arts Council 'Dance on the Box' award. He choreographed the short film 'Why the Irish dance that way' which premiered on John Kelly's 'The View'. It appeared in the Dresden International Short Film Festival in 2007 and in New York's MoMA in 2007 at "Shortfest: Outstanding Films from International Festivals". The film won first prize at the Chicago Irish Film Festival 2008. It has recently been incorporated into an ad on RTÉ (2011/12). You can watch this short film here.
Rónán Regan - Artistic Colaboration
Rónán has worked with a diverse cross-section of artists both traditional and non- traditional in order to spark the creative process and present the essence of traditional material to ever widening audiences. Amongst those he has collaborated with are: Nick Kelly, Kate Thompson, Kevin Abeyta, Ben Lennon, Frankie Gavin, PJ Hernon, Irene Guckian, Maldon Meehan, Ger Devane, Martha Gilheaney, Brian Mostyn and Skip Healy.