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Description
Solo Square Dance is a one-person dance concert created and performed by Nic Gareiss commemorating the 1935 Dance Halls Act which banned Irish citizens from dancing in homes. Ninety years later, this 60-minute show combines movement, speaking, and song inspired by this and other such movement prohibitions, including the dancing ban in Pound, Virginia (only lifted in 1999!) which required that dancing permits not be granted "to anyone who is not a proper person, nor to anyone without good moral character." Set in the round, Solo Square Dance engages traditional and original step dance movement from Ireland, Canada, and Appalachia to explore the dialectic of public/private life, probing the subversive power of dancing bodies. The show begs the question: in light of its historic bans, can dance (continue to) be a means of transgression, liberation, and social transformation for our times?
Want to learn more about Appalachian Flatfooting? Join Nic for a flatfooting workshop on Tuesday, February 17th at 7pm. Get your ticket for the workshop here.
Credits for Solo Square Dance
Conception, creation, and performance: Nic Gareiss
Outside eye: Colin Dunne
All songs traditional, arranged by Gareiss, except: “Peaks of Otter” written by Jim Schulz
The development of Solo Square Dance was made possible thanks to a generous residency at the Irish Arts Center, New York
Press for Solo Square Dance
“…the remarkable Nic Gareiss, provides a running (walking and dancing) commentary…with insights into choreography, folklore, and social history which enthralled and amazed his audience…Drawing together music and dance traditions from Ireland, Canada, and America - peppered with elements of his personal journey in the three countries, Gareiss communicates complex ideas with clarity, wit and good humour!”
- Seamas Sheils, Fonn Magazine
"...this piece is a masterpiece...The intersecting thematic line in the piece is about pleasure, and how pleasure, in itself and in particular the pleasure of dancing, might be, and has been, perceived as threatening to the political and cultural status quo...the work finally resolves to come down on the side of pleasure rather than propaganda. This, for me, feels like a sort of softly experienced triumph."
- Steve Batts, Echo Echo Dance Festival
About Nic Gareiss
Dancer Nic Gareiss (he/they) grew up at folk festivals in rural Michigan where he learned Appalachian, Irish, English, and Canadian step dance surrounded by fiddlers, banjo-players, and folk singers. This mix of traditional music, song, and movement has become the heart of Nic's creative work as a performer. Gareiss has been named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch," hailed by the New York Times for his "dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance," and called "the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene” by the Boston Herald. He has performed in seventeen countries and received the 2020 Michigan Heritage Award, the state's highest distinction bestowed on traditional artists. www.nicgareiss.com / @NicGareissLFI
Date & Time
Mon, Feb 9, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue Details
Play House
12657 Moran StreetDetroit, Michigan 48212
