WICKED JIG
ELLEN ECCLES THEATRE
OCT. 26TH, 7:30PM
An Tús Nua (on-THOO-is NOO-uh) Irish Dance Academy will present Wicked Jig, featuring a troupe of 8 performers which includes Open Champion dancers competing on the highest international level. An Tús Nua Dance Academy director Terena Lund said of the Dance Academy’s name, “An Tús Nua is Irish Gaelic for ‘new beginning’ and our logo is a sunrise. We felt the name was appropriate since we are truly just beginning.”
A Halloween show is appropriate for the dance academy since the origins of many of our traditions are from the Celts. Samhain (sow-in) marked the last day summer and the beginning of the Celtic New Year, which makes Oct 31st their Hallows Eve. They believed that the spirits of those who died the preceding year roamed the earth the night of Samhain, or Hallows Eve. The spirits were believed to be either ‘entertained by the living’ or to ‘find a body to possess for the incoming year’. Thus the reason they thought dressing up like goblins, witches and ghosts would keep them from being possessed.
Wicked Jig includes a ‘mummers’ dance that is still celebrated in Ireland, and other parts of the world, including a huge parade & festival in Philadelphia. They would dress up and do a ‘folk play’ or a dance in return for a bit of food. It is believed this is the origin of trick-or-treating. Wicked Jig is about what happens on that night. The show will feature witches, skeletons, and banshees..... It’s Riverdance meets Thriller! The Aaron Ashton Band will be performing along with other local talent from Dance Source, Enlight Ballroom, and Inishfre Irish Dance. Attendees can expect a fun-filled night of music, excitement and amazing dancing you won’t want to miss!
