Tag: Dance

Darrah Carr Dance sources from two genres, traditional Irish step and contemporary modern dance. Darrah pulls in two directions, one toward tradition and another toward innovation, and seeks to create dance in the space between. Dance in Ireland traditionally happened at a crossroads, which is exactly what Darrah has planned for Artists Without Walls’ Showcase at Hofstra University. It’s called, “Dingle Meets Diwali.”

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Darrah Carr, Artistic Director & Choreographer of Darrah Carr Dance, currently teaches at Hofstra University and is doctoral candidate, pursuing a PhD in Dance through Texas Woman’s University. She has been named one of the “Top 40 Under 40“ by The Irish Echo one of the “Top 100 Irish Americans of the Year“ by Irish America Magazine, and one of the “Most Influential Women of 2010“ by The Irish Voice.

Darrah has been active for over fifteen years in both the Irish and modern dance communities as a choreographer, dancer, educator, and writer. In addition to her work as the Artistic Director of Darrah Carr Dance, Darrah has collaborated independently with a number of esteemed artists. She served as the assistant choreographer to Seán Curran for the TONY award winning Broadway musical “James Joyce’s The Dead“ and has set original works on Trinity Irish Dance’s Junior Company, the Nassau Dance Theatre, and the Mise Eire Irish Dancers. 

Darrah has had the privilege of performing with many renowned musicians including: Mick Moloney, Natalie MacMaster, Andy Cooney, and Arlo Guthrie & The Vanaver Caravan. Carr has performed on NBC’s “The Today Show,“ and New York 1. She can also be seen tapping away in “The Guru,“ a feature film starring Heather Graham. Carr’s own work is the subject of a New York University Master’s Documentary entitled “Reel Steps“ and she choreographed the film “Right Foot/Left Foot.“

Dancing with Darrah Carr Dance will be Brigid Gillis and Mary Beth Sheehan. Brigid Gillis is a native Long Islander, who started her formal dance training in competitive Irish dance and later explored her passion for modern dance at The College of Brockport SUNY, where she acquired her BFA. Brigid has performed in various professional venues in New York City with Zehnder Dance and Darrah Carr Dance.  

Mary Kate Sheehan began her dancing career training in Irish step dancing, ballet, and jazz. She competed in Irish step dancing for over 15 years on the international level, placing in the top 10 in the World. She moved to New York City in 2010 to shift her focus to modern, contemporary, and ballet as a pre-professional trainee at the Joffrey School. 

Join us at Hofstra University, Tuesday, February 18, 2:15pm in the Helene Fortunoff Theater located in Monroe Hall.  This is a free event sponsored by Hofstra’s Irish Studies Program with a generous grant from the Hofstra Cultural Center.