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Midwinter Set Dance Weekend
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Irish Set Dancing in Milwaukee
Social Dancing for Adults
Midwinter Set Dance Weekend: February 26 - 28, 2010
Milwaukee's premiere set dance event returns, featuring instructors and musicians of international renown.
Click here for Registration form & complete info.

FIND US ON FACEBOOK: SetDance Milwaukee
Weekly Dancing
Continues at
O'Donoghue's Irish Pub
Wednesdays
Open Dancing 7 p.m.
(7:30 when classes in session)

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 Set Dance Classes

We offer several series of classes during the year, typically in an 8-week format. Some series are intended to get you started in set dancing with classes tailored for newcomers. Some will allow those who've been dancing for a while or had an introductory class to gain the next level in set dancing. WATCH THIS SPACE for information on our next set of classes.

Following each class, open dancing will begin at about 7:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. when no classes are in session) Class participants are encouraged to join in the dancing (at no extra charge) throughout the evening.

 Weekly Dancing -- at O'Donoghues

This continues a long tradition of weekly dancing which began at Nash's Irish Castle in 1991. Nash's, alas, is no more, but this web page survives for now.

Important:
See the note below about parking.

Held on Wednesday evenings, dancing begins at 7:00 PM, (7:30 if classes are in session.) We ask for a free-will offering of three dollars each week to offset our rental costs. This is waived for paid class participants.

Note: parking behind the old Elm Grove Inn (now the Silver Spur) is no longer permitted. You can be ticketed if you park there. Please park on street or in lot behind the Town Bank, across the street and a little East of O'Donoghue's. It's on the North side of Watertown Plank Road, East of the Dry Cleaning business, at 13150 Watertown Plank Road. We may park there any Wednesday, after 5:30 PM. Set dancing is held year-round at at O'Donoghue's Irish Pub in Elm Grove. Periodic e-mail updates are sent throughtout the year. See Contacts to be added to our list.

 Monthly Dances with Live Music

Regular dances are held on the fourth Saturday of the month (exceptions below) at the ICHC. Come at 7:00 p.m. to learn the Set of the Month. Dance to live music from 8:00 p.m. until 11:00. $8.00 free will offering requested. Tea and snacks are provided. Beer and soda are sold to benefit the ICHC. Please bring a treat to share if you can.

Date
Event Music  Set of the Month
January 23 Monthly dance at ICHC Northern Illinois Ceili Band Killyon
February 26-28 Midwinter Set Dance Weekend John Whelan, Capitol Ceili Band  
March 27 Monthly dance at ICHC Áthas Williamstown
April 24 Monthly dance at ICHC The Cosmic Otters Moycullen
May 22 Monthly dance at ICHC   Newmarket Myserts
June 26 Monthly dance at ICHC   Kilfenora Plain
July 24 Monthly dance at ICHC   West Kerry Polka
August 19-22 See you at Irish Fest! Bushels of bands Scores of sets
September 25 Monthly dance at ICHC   Fermanagh
October 23 Monthly dance at ICHC   Rosscahill
November 27 Monthly dance at ICHC   Labasheeda Reel
December 25 No Monthly dance    

Midwinter  Set Dance Weekend --  February 26-28th, 2010 

Registration form & complete info: Click, or Right-click and SaveAs: Registration form & complete info.

Make your plans to attend the ninth annual Milwaukee Midwinter Set Dance Weekend. Highlights include:

  • Workshops on Saturday and Sunday with Mick Mulkerrin, of County Meath, Ireland.
  • Evening ceilis on Friday and Saturday featuring our favorite, John Whelan.
  • A farewell dance featuring the Capitol Ceili Band
  • Saturday lunch & Sunday brunch provided.
Cost for the full weekend is only $90 before February 6, 2010, $100 thereafter. See flyer for details.

 Other Set Dancing

SETS IN THE 'BURG annouces spring classes:

This is the dancing real folk do in the pubs in Ireland, and there are no curly wigs or high steppin' involved! No previous experience, no partner, not even talent required. It's social dancing, for fun, for fitness, for adults. But especially for fun! Beginners definitely welcome! Instructor is Mike McElroy, a long-time dancer with great "coaching methods."

Session starts Monday, January 11 & runs 2nd and 4th Mondays: January, 25, February 8, 22, March 8, 2010 7 - 8:30 pm. The cost is $25 for the entire series. WHERE: At the Roadhouse Bar & Grill at 1302 Washington Ave., 5 Corners, in Cedarburg. (see Venues, below)

Set taught will be the Moycullen Set.

For more information call Kathy at 262-377-8639, or email info@setsintheburg.org.

 Venues

The Irish Cultural and Heritage Center (ICHC) is at 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee (just west of Marquette U.). Click for map. Park free in lots off 23rd St. south of Wisconsin Ave. Westbound: take I-94 west to 25th St. Exit, Go north on 25th Street to Wisconsin Avenue. Then right (east) to 23rd Street.  Eastbound: take I-94 east to 35th St. exit, go north (left) to Wisconsin Ave., east to 23rd St. Parking is available in lots south (and slightly West) of the center. Take 23rd St. south to alley to enter.

O'Donoghue's Irish Pub is at 13225 Watertown Plank Road in Elm Grove. Click for map. If you are coming from the west, O'Donoghue's is less than two miles east of Brookfield Square (I-94). Exit I-94 and go north the next road after Bluemound Road (US 18). This is Watertown Plank Road. Then turn right and after you cross the RR tracks, look for the pub on the right just past the Elm Grove Inn.
Coming from the East: If you are going west on I-94 or I-894 take US 45 north (at the zoo interchange) to the Watertown Plank Road exit. Then go two miles west (left) on Watertown Plank. When you see a church just ahead, veer left and look for the pub on your left.

Parking is available on nearby streets and lots. Please use these rather than the lot adjacent to the pub.

Finbar MacCarthy's Irish Pub, 3315 County Road I ("aye!"), Saukville, WI 53080. Phone: 262-284-9808. Finbar's is just a tad North of the corner of State Highway 33 and County I, where I meets Cold Springs Road, and across STH 33 from The Bog (golf course.) Click here for a map to Finbar's

The Road House Bar & Grill, 1302 Washington Ave (Five Corners) Cedarburg. Corner of Highway 60 and 181 (76th Street/Wauwatosa Road) Phone 262-387-0399. Click here for a map.

 Bands

Here are the web sites of some of the bands and musicians that have played for us at our dances. Please support your local musicians!

Áthas Cé Ceol Caírde
Frogwater Rírá Public House Ceili Band
Capitol Ceili Band

 Contact Us

Below, you should see four scrolling graphic images containing email addresses and phone numbers for contacting us.
General Info:
General Info:
Classes:
SetMke.org maintains a low-volume mailing list to keep the set dance community informed of our events and activities.
To be added to (or removed from) the e-mail list please send a message to the address below. Indicate what address you'd like to add, or remove.
Please also mention if you'd like to be on our local (weekly dances, etc), regional (Monthly dances and larger events), or national (Our largest events, which tend to interest people further away from Milwaukee) list.
Email list:

We apologize for the obfuscated contact information above. We have been inudated with spam and drastic meastures were required.

General set dance information world-wide is on the Web at www.setdancingnews.net
The Shamrock Club has a comprehensive listing of events in Milwaukee, with links to calandars for events across Wisconsin and the Midwest.
Short Wikipedia article on set dance.

Updated on 01/19/2010