Celtic Spring: A Family Song and Dance
The Irish music and dance ensemble that has reached the finals of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” treated audience members at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood, Ca. to a dynamic performance.
Featuring members of the Wood Family, the song and dance group entertained fans and new listeners on a late August morning with a variety of Irish and Scottish melodies.
Wearing both hard and soft shoes, the family’s five children-Aiden, Maire, Patrick, Sean, Deirdre and Elizabeth-all fiddle and dance while their father, Greg, keeps time on the bodhran, the traditional Irish drum.
Natives of the rural Ojai Valley, the Wood Family has been coined as the “Von Trapp Family of Celtic Music” with guest appearances on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” WB’s Steve Harvey Show, E.W.T.N., PBS and Nippon TV in Japan.
Dressed in colorful, elaborate costumes, this family of musicians and dancers performs a rich combination of reels, jigs and hornpipes that excites and inspires audiences nationwide.
Reels, moderately fast Scottish folk dances in 2/4 time for two, three or four couples, do not carry the same tempo as jigs, which are performed in triple rhythm with constant kicking and jumping.
Influenced by their parents’ affection for Celtic culture, the Wood children began learning Irish dance at the age of four while simultaneously receiving classical training on the violin.
These youngsters moved on, sharing a new-found love for Irish dance music that compelled them to pursue the fiddle and study with some of the best Celtic fiddlers in the world.
So when the Wood family started performing at the Santa Barbara Farmers’ Market just to earn enough dough for fiddle camp, Celtic Spring was officially born.
Since then, the lyrical beauty and artistic dance tempo of their original compositions has gradually captured audiences far and wide.
Under the leadership of the eldest child Elizabeth, each member brings their own flavor to the band.
Deidre offers a polished voice and beautiful blend of harmonies while Sean delights a crowd with his energy and rhythm on fiddle and mandolin.
Maire floats across the stage, her dancing exuding grace and joy through the tasteful choreography of her sisters, Elizabeth and Deirdre.
As Greg holds the melody’s pulse on his Irish frame drum, Patrick demonstrates a unique feel and virtuosity for the tune.
In October, Celtic Spring will represent the United States at the 6th Annual World Championships of the Performing Arts in Burbank, where contestants from over 30 countries will compete for Gold in a week-long Olympics of the Performing Arts.
It won’t be the first time the Wood family has competed in the championships, or better yet, won the event.
At the 2002 Championships, the band received the competition’s highest honor as Grand Champion of the World.
And with it came an international following.
In the summer of 2004, Celtic Spring spent two months touring in Europe and continued to educate the world about Irish folk music with their first performance in Canada the following year.
Most recently, the band entered the studio, recording its first album, entitled, At The Source.
It’s all been a dream-come-true for a family of musicians that couldn’t be more appreciative of the public attention now surrounding them.
The family posts on their website, “We are not the best dancers in the world, not the best musicians. We are a family doing what we love to do, playing music together and sharing the joy of the Celtic fiddle and dance. Whether we play and dance for huge crowds or in our living room, we will play, dance, and pray together.”
It still may only be the beginning for Celtic Spring-only time will tell for this spirited family band.
