Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”

NPR’s Best Roots Music of 2022

“…it’s been suggested that the spontaneous, social spirit of Irish traditional music derives in part from its emergence at a time when dance was a ubiquitous activity for ordinary people. Gareiss’ percussive dance not only reminds us of this intrinsic relationship, but recasts dancing as a fundamental part of traditional music…”

— Aidan Daly, Now Then Sheffield

“A virtuoso step dancer in Irish and Appalachian traditions...an undersung treasure.”

— Brian Seibert, The New York Times

“...his feet coax music from the ground.”

— Dorothea Samaha, The Provincetown Independent

“The human epitome of the unbearable lightness of being...Gareiss is more fleet of foot than an Olympian sprinter and more buoyant than a helium-filled balloon...his restraint is palpable and freeform flight is inevitable.”

— Siobhán Long, The Irish Times

“...minutely precise, brilliantly witty, hip-twistingly agile movement.”

— Rob Adams, The Herald Scotland

“...imbricating sound and movement, Michigan-born Nic Gareiss queers the footfall, the fiddle, and the step, showing these ‘sounding together’ in homoerotic readings of traditional Irish dance and music.”

— VK Preston, Dance Research Journal

“...fluent, expressive dancing, whipping up a soft-shoe storm of subtlety and grace.”

— Laurence Mackin, The Irish Times

“...Gareiss’ dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance.”

— Siobhán Burke, The New York Times

“...a leftfield tour-de-force with irresistible wow factor.”

— Michael Dervan, The Irish Times

“A show-stopper...the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene.  

— Daniel Gewertz, The Boston Herald

“…a total joy to watch – music embodied in physique, gesture, movement and muscle; an eye-opener for the ear, as it were, such is the precision, detail and adventure of his sense of rhythm.”

— Paul O’Connor, Last Night’s Fun

“His demeanor is always joyful but there is considered depth in every move...a riveting tour de force that equally displayed a subtlety and understanding of percussive dance...”

— Paul Keating, The Irish Voice

“With a working knowledge in a variety of different traditional percussive dance styles and an academic background to match, Gareiss is able to think well outside the choreographic box.”

— Daniel Neeley, Irish Echo

“Gareiss combined roots with a more modern inventive style that came to the fore in an impressionistic piece starting with a whisper of a shuffle...Gareiss moved like electricity was radiating out of every part of his body.”

— Stephen Cooke, The Chronicle Herald