When Riverdance hit the world stage in 1995 it brought to public attention an
aspect of Irish culture which had been largely confined to St. Patrick's Day
celebrations, cultural events and dance competitions: Step-Dancing.
Riverdance, and Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance, have added modern
twists to a traditional art form.
What is this Irish Step-Dancing? How did it evolve?
Don Haurin and Ann Richens have published "Irish Step Dancing, A Brief
History", online. In it they point out that the modern form of Irish dancing
dates back to the appearance of Dance Masters about 1750. Forerunners of
today's Irish dancing teachers, they typically traveled within a county,
teaching their repertoire of dance steps and participating in competitions
with other Dance Masters. Each step is eight measures or bars of music,
hence the term step dancing.
Beginning dancers first learn the soft shoe dances. Girls and women wear soft
shoes, or ghillies, which resemble black ballet slippers with intricate lacing.
Boys and men usually dance the soft shoe dances in shoes with hard soles. All
dancers use hard shoes with a sort of tap on the toe and heel for hard shoe
dances.
Starting with the "down-two-threes" and "sevenses" which are basic
techniques used in many steps, students soon learn two steps for the reel and
two more for the light jig. Both women and men dance the reel to music in 4/4
time.
As students advance and learn more complicated steps, the dance takes on
lots of kicks and leaps. The light jig, and another soft shoe dance, the single
jig, are danced to music in 6/8 time. The graceful slip jig, danced only by girls
and women, is in 9/8 time.
In the tradition of the dancing masters, each Irish dancing school develops
its own steps to be used in each of the dance types. (As an aside, it is
interesting to watch two dancers from different schools dancing side-by-side
to the same music. Usually the sight is two quite different dances!)
After a student has mastered soft shoe dances, s/he moves on to learn hard
shoe dances such as the hornpipe, treble jig, and traditional set dances.
Unlike the other dances, the traditional set dances have prescribed steps and
do not vary between schools. "St. Patrick's Day," often one of the first set
dances learned, is danced to a well-known song of the same name. "Blackbird"
is another set dance, and most likely a tribute to Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Among the trends in Irish dance are that more girls than boys take up the
art, unlike in the 18th and 19th centuries when the reverse was true. The
girls' dance costumes have evolved into elaborate works of art themselves,
calling on ancient Celtic art as inspiration for their elaborate embroidery and
applique.
Competition is a major component of today's Irish dance world. While rules
used to vary by locality, modern rules date back to the establishment of the
Irish Dancing Commission (An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha) in 1929.
Competitions are now standardized throughout the world, as national
organizations throughout the Irish Diaspora are affiliated with the Irish
Dancing Commission.
A competition is known as a feis (pronounced "fesh", plural feiseanna,
"fesh-anna") and usually sponsored by a local dancing school or Irish cultural
association. Dancers advance to participate in regional competitions known as
Oireachtas (pronounced "o-rock-tas") and at the highest levels to the World
Championships in Ireland (Oireachtas na Cruinne). While competition among
the young dancers is keen, the bottom line is that for each of them Irish
dancing is FUN and a link to their Irish heritage.
aspect of Irish culture which had been largely confined to St. Patrick's Day
celebrations, cultural events and dance competitions: Step-Dancing.
Riverdance, and Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance, have added modern
twists to a traditional art form.
What is this Irish Step-Dancing? How did it evolve?
Don Haurin and Ann Richens have published "Irish Step Dancing, A Brief
History", online. In it they point out that the modern form of Irish dancing
dates back to the appearance of Dance Masters about 1750. Forerunners of
today's Irish dancing teachers, they typically traveled within a county,
teaching their repertoire of dance steps and participating in competitions
with other Dance Masters. Each step is eight measures or bars of music,
hence the term step dancing.
Beginning dancers first learn the soft shoe dances. Girls and women wear soft
shoes, or ghillies, which resemble black ballet slippers with intricate lacing.
Boys and men usually dance the soft shoe dances in shoes with hard soles. All
dancers use hard shoes with a sort of tap on the toe and heel for hard shoe
dances.
Starting with the "down-two-threes" and "sevenses" which are basic
techniques used in many steps, students soon learn two steps for the reel and
two more for the light jig. Both women and men dance the reel to music in 4/4
time.
As students advance and learn more complicated steps, the dance takes on
lots of kicks and leaps. The light jig, and another soft shoe dance, the single
jig, are danced to music in 6/8 time. The graceful slip jig, danced only by girls
and women, is in 9/8 time.
In the tradition of the dancing masters, each Irish dancing school develops
its own steps to be used in each of the dance types. (As an aside, it is
interesting to watch two dancers from different schools dancing side-by-side
to the same music. Usually the sight is two quite different dances!)
After a student has mastered soft shoe dances, s/he moves on to learn hard
shoe dances such as the hornpipe, treble jig, and traditional set dances.
Unlike the other dances, the traditional set dances have prescribed steps and
do not vary between schools. "St. Patrick's Day," often one of the first set
dances learned, is danced to a well-known song of the same name. "Blackbird"
is another set dance, and most likely a tribute to Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Among the trends in Irish dance are that more girls than boys take up the
art, unlike in the 18th and 19th centuries when the reverse was true. The
girls' dance costumes have evolved into elaborate works of art themselves,
calling on ancient Celtic art as inspiration for their elaborate embroidery and
applique.
Competition is a major component of today's Irish dance world. While rules
used to vary by locality, modern rules date back to the establishment of the
Irish Dancing Commission (An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha) in 1929.
Competitions are now standardized throughout the world, as national
organizations throughout the Irish Diaspora are affiliated with the Irish
Dancing Commission.
A competition is known as a feis (pronounced "fesh", plural feiseanna,
"fesh-anna") and usually sponsored by a local dancing school or Irish cultural
association. Dancers advance to participate in regional competitions known as
Oireachtas (pronounced "o-rock-tas") and at the highest levels to the World
Championships in Ireland (Oireachtas na Cruinne). While competition among
the young dancers is keen, the bottom line is that for each of them Irish
dancing is FUN and a link to their Irish heritage.
History of
Irish Dance
Irish Dance
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| Irish Step-Dancing: A Living Tradition by Pat Friend http://allaboutirish.com/library/dance/dancehist.shtm |
