Megan Downes

Teaches at Irish Arts Center

Megan performs and choreographs old style Irish steps, sean nos, Canadian step traditions and American clogging and flatfooting. She trained in competitive stepdance with National Heritage Fellow Donny Golden, learned traditional Irish set pieces, old-time waltzes and vaudeville routines from Josephine McNamara and country sets from traveling master Connie Ryan. After graduating with a BA in Anthropology from Smith, Megan returned to NYC to teach traditional dance and directed the dance program at the Irish Arts Center for many years as a volunteer. She calls dances and teaches workshops, including 14 years at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing and at the Augusta Heritage Center at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia. As a principal dancer with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble for 16 years, Megan performed with the Turtleduhks at the Ulster-American Folk Park, in The Crossing with Tim O’Brien and with StepAfrika. A member of SAG-AFTRA and ASCAP, Megan is almost known for co-writing popular Uncle Earl song “Crayola” with Kristin Andreassen. Megan currently teaches the NYCity Stompers (come dance!) and at Theatre 80 St.Mark’s. Megan has toured or performed as a guest artist with Billy McComiskey, James Leva, The Duhks, Lunasa and Danny Knicely & The Furnace Mountain Band. A December 2008 review in The Washington Post remarks that "among the area's best Irish dancers... Megan Downes has hyper-flexible ankles; she taps the sides of her feet to the floor in shockingly rapid succession."