Ceili Irish Music and Dance Camp:

A Great Week of Immersion in Irish Culture

VANCOUVER - Are you a musician looking for an exciting and unusual vacation for yourself, your children or your whole family? Perhaps you're an Irish dancer wanting to develop that competitive edge? Or maybe you just love all things Irish and want to immerse yourself in Irish culture! For kids and adults, Ceili 2006 has something for everyone.

LESLIE WILSON, the founder and Director of Ceili Music and Dance Camp.

The De Danaan School of Irish Dance is proud to host the fifth annual Ceili Irish Music and Dance Camp 2006 on August 13-19. Held in the beautiful resort area of Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, Ceili 2006 will again bring world champions, star dancers, and dynamic musicians to the Vancouver and Fraser Valley region.

Whether it's dance, fiddle, guitar, piano accompaniment, penny whistle, bodhran, or Gaelic football that piques your interest, everyone is invited for a fun filled week. Participants will be coached by some of the top names in Irish dance, music, and sports.

For beginner students, this is a chance to be inspired by world-renowned artists; for advanced students, an opportunity to hone your skills.

Some of the world-class instructors include in Irish dance: Ellie Maguire who has danced with one of the most successful Irish dance schools in the world, the Maguire O'Shea Academy, where both her parents are instructors. Ellie has won the World Championship three times making Irish dance history, the first mother and daughter to have both won the world title. Ellie has won 23 major titles.

Michael Maguire who started dancing at the age of two and was taught by his parents, Michael and Kathleen Maguire at the Maguire O'Shea Academy. He was champion of London for five consecutive years and received multiple awards at the World Championships. He has toured with Gaelforce, Ragus, and Riverdance as a dancer and drummer performing many lead roles.

On fiddle: Brian Conway, the All-Ireland Fiddle Champion and New York recording artist who has received accolades for his faithfulness to tradition and his outstanding Sligo style of fiddling, which he clearly demonstrates on his recent album, First Through the Gate. He is certainly one of the best fiddlers of his generation.

Gerry O'Connor is an All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, luthier, and recording artist from Dundalk and one of Ireland's premier fiddlers. His unique personal style and splendidly fluid bow-hand combined with technical virtuosity have brought him to concert stages throughout the world and have earned him international renown.

Katherine Irwin Thomas is a school orchestra teacher and Irish musician from Atlanta, Georgia. She has studied with several fiddle greats including: Brian Conway, Siobhan Peoples and Liz Carroll, to name a few and recently received her Irish traditional teaching certificate (TTCT) from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Dublin. Besides performing and teaching fiddle, she runs the Atlanta Junior Ceili Band and The Irish Arts Foundation of Atlanta.

On keyboard, flute and pennywhiste: Brendan Dolan who learned his music from his father, Felix Dolan, one of the most revered piano accompanists in Irish music. He has recorded with Patrick Ourceau, Patty Furlong, and Sean Quinn among others and can be heard most recently on Live at Mona's. He has a degree in jazz performance from SUNY New Paltz, played Klezmer with the Andy Statman Quartet for three years, and most recently taught music at a high school in upstate New York.

In Gaelic football and hurling: Vancouver-born John O'Flynn who is a member of the Vancouver Irish Sporting and Social Club and has been a player and referee for the Canadian and North American County GAA Boards. As an educator, John has served as a principal and a P.E. teacher and has presented a number of workshops on Gaelic football to teachers at physical education conferences.

The Director of Ceili Music and Dance Camp is Leslie Wilson, TCRG, who is a 30-year Irish dance veteran and is the artistic director of Scoil Rince De Danaan. She created the Ceili Camp to provide opportunity for participants to become immersed in Irish culture and to enhance their cross disciplinary cultural skills.

Ceili Camp helps build and sustain a rich, cultural community in a fun, multi-generational environment using the highest world caliber instructors to inspire and guide students to achieve their personal best.

It is a great week of immersion in Irish culture. Don't miss out on a chance for fun and education with the very highest caliber of instruction in all levels of music, dance and sports! For more information, call (778) 288-5695, or visit: de_danaan@shaw.ca.

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