Natalie MacMaster - Step Dance Extravaganza

[debifeb]

we call those floters in ca[e breton

[NHfiddle]

WOW!!!! Natalie plays piano too? What else does she play besides an awesome fiddle?

[lautnerfan504]

I myself am a step dancer and am very familiar with most of the dancers I've done many square sets with one of the performers. if this cape Breton tradition wasn't kept alive I have no clue what I would do because it honestly is my life and something I've been doing my whole life.

[RIVERKINGERIC]

IS THIS CAPE BRETTON DANCING? THIS IS WONDERFUL! I LOVE ALL THE LITTLE ANKLE-TWISTING AND ROCKNG!

[need2steal]

I think there were 10 steppers if you include the pianist.

[newfiekitchenparty]

I LOVE this Video and Natalie's Music. Such a Born Natural :) Harvey Beaton is one of my Favourites as well. If I had to choose just ONE style of Music to listen too it would definately be this. :))))) 1000 Thumbs UP

[ottdmk24]

Nice video. I'm rather biased, as my father, Harvey MacKinnon, is one of the dancers. (He starts around 2:34.) Still, I'm a huge fan of Natalie's, so it's a total win as far as I'm concerned. :)

[salamanca1954]

Natalie is H O T, and everthing Celtic that came over to the New World from the Old changed. In the U.S. our bluegrass and mountain music came from the Scots-Irish, and became Country-Western over time. There's nothing wrong with the changes. In fact, some very ancient Celtic airs have a close affiliation with Indian (as in India) ragas.

[BobBurnsOB]

What's ARMS? She's a legend and a wonderful person.

[RugbyDancer21]

ARMS!!! my dance teacher would have a heart attack!

[jyggyhobyt]

@RugbyDancer21 stiff arms aren't a rule for Cape Breton dancing, its more relaxed, sort of like Sean Nos step dancing. you must be an Irish dancer :)

[RugbyDancer21]

@jyggyhobyt haha ya- but i think this kind of dancing is cool too! sorry im just trained with the arm thing haha! where is this type from?

[jyggyhobyt]

@RugbyDancer21 Nova Scotia (in Canada), emigrees mainly from Scotland. The steps are different, they don't lift their legs up in the back like we do, and their shoes are different than ours.

[irishdancerbabe23]

I LOVED the music. Natalie MacMaster is amazing! The Irish dancing however was slightly distracting since the arms of the dancers weren't at their sides, otherwise this is AMAZING!!!

[persyphanny]

I love how Natalie can't keep still either, she has her feet going the whole time. She's keeping the background beat w/ her taps. She is so amazing!

[erenowlovexX]

i wish i had the talent to learn this, seriously. love it! love natalie, and i wish my fam would do this! :D

[KrazyKanuc]

This is wonderul, & Natalie has shoes on!

[TechnoBIan]

COOL!!!

[Colocelt]

The thing that is so AMAZING about the Celtic Arts that has been preserved in Cape Breton is that it is about family, and getting together to celebrate music and dance. My great Grandfather used to play the fiddle and step in the kitchen (age doesn't matter, as you can see). That is the culture you see when those Canadians of Scottish decent share their arts with you.

I am so glad that Natalie had her family step for this performance to keep that tradition alive.

[fidlnow]

Natalie in concert is fabulous!

[BlueEyedQueen]

the fiddler looks like she's having the most fun, moving her feet, fiddling and smiling occasionally, I'd rather watch her although the dancing is nice, I don't like to watch people who don't look like they're having fun on stage.

[Colocelt]

I LOVE the Cape Breton style... Nothing wrong with competitive dance but it tends to skew the origins a bit Irish dancing did not always look as it does now. The Irish had Sean Nos (sp) which looks similar to Cape Breton. The Scottish Competition form seemed to drop off most of the percussive dance... Thank goodness for Cape Breton keeping it all alive and now Scotland is even working in preserving it again w00t!

[BobBurnsOB]

Scotch competitive dance is to traditional Scotch stepdancing as River Dance is to traditional Irish stepdancing......showboat stuff. Yes, the showboat stuff is OK but doesn't deserve to supplant the real stuff which gets very showy and complex as well.

[seanmharcailin]

@BobBurnsOB scottish. not scotch. "Scotch" unless referring to food and drink is perjorative.

[chansherly212]

@seanmharcailin and tape :)

[Nicoleclog]

Step at 0:42 very nice..........

[competitivefutures]

Close to the floor, baby.

[NatureLover987]

the guy at 0:30 looks kinda like a guy from britian's got talent.. ha!

[greekherc]

why dont the dancers smile a little bit and act like they're having fun? they seem to stiff. almost like its painfull

[morigue]

The stiffness is the style of the dance.

[FiddlerSteve]

You'd rather see that fixed smile that the Highland competitive dancers have? I can guarantee you they're having fun :)

[BobBurnsOB]

@morigue Some don't appear to be having fun but towards the end they all appear to be having a blast esp. the mother-son duo and Mary Janet MacDonald (my dance dance instructor) in the women duo. They are on stage, after all. Everyone has fun in real life, some too much fun.

[morigue]

@BobBurnsOB I don't disagree with you :) It was greekherc that made the comment about them not smiling or appearing to have fun.

[TheBananaBeast]

@greekherc When the Catholics moved in, the gestures etc. made with the top half of the body were seen as obscene; the style now only consists of movement below the waist.

[threenorns3]

@greekherc the problem with smiling while stepdancing is it's too easy to look like you're grimacing. the entire focus is on the fleetness of the feet, not the face, hence why the upper body is as still as possible.

[threenorns3]

@greekherc that's why it irritates me so darn much when the camera keeps focussing on their face and upper body - nothing to see, folks! never mind the hair and the face, let's see the feet!

[raebuckland]

this is the best! cape breton dancing is the BEST

[00hl4l4]

Wow, that step-dancing is kinda entrancing, you can't help but watch it.  and I bet that it's 100 times harder than they make it look!

[yarg2]

The best, nothing against Irish dancing but you can't beat Cape breton for dancing so very neat.

[nascat]

Great, Great,Great, just loved it.

[JanesCalamity]

That looks so fun and I love that they had a variety of ages of dancers and they all got a turn. Lovely stuff.

[1capebreton]

my son you must be blind and have a seeing eye dog if you think thats messy

[dancerjono]

i didn't mean just them, i was talking about this style altogether, like i said its only my oppinion, the dancers are very talented don't get me wrong, but i am used to and much prefer irish step dancing, oh and im not blind, i do wear glasses

[dancerjono]

love the music, absolutely first class, not a fan of the dancing though, just my oppinion but to me it looks a bit messy

[LightBahamut]

That's about the cleanest step dancing you'll ever see, mate.

[djallfiredup]

Is that Harvey MacKinnon of Whycocomagh, Cape Breton? I just saw him in another stepdancing video. I love this stuff! Though I'm not Scottish by heritage, I've fallen in love with this music.

[ainefidileir]

seriously ass kicking!

Natalie is one of my heroes... and I have to admit I have such a huge crush on Matt! :)

[CadillacL]

AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!