Even though Irish dancing is to have been created for a sense of nationalism, it is said to have roots in the Druids who lived in Ireland and the Celts' folk dancing. Ireland is a land that is connected to its past and this is one way to honor and celebrate the past.
Irish dancing is a performance. According to Sims and Stephens in Living Folklore: An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions, state that a performance is "Performance is an expressive activity that requires participation, heightens our enjoyment of an experience, and invites response." (Sims and Stephens 2011, 131) Irish dancing performances and competitions would fall into those categories. They also stated that, "in order for a performance to happen, a recognized setting must exist (participants have to know a performance is taking place) and participants (performers and audience) must be present.)" (Sims and Stephens 2011, 131). The setting is the competition or performance, the participants are the performers and the audience.
Dance
What sets Irish Dance apart from other forms of dancing is the use of high kicks and the footwork. The dance is normally performed in small fast foot movements with high kicks and jumps throughout. The upper body is upright and stiff along with the arms by the dancers side. The only movement of the body is the legs and feet.
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Competitive Outfits
Irish Outfits for females are normally short dresses, so the judges can focus on the footwork, and brightly colored. For males, it is normal to wear log pants with a formal shirt. The article, "Dance-work: Images of Organization in Irish Dance," stated that with the growth of the dance, becoming more national and global, "costumes shifted from ordinary clothes to bright, ornate costumes with Celtic motifs, lace collars, brooches and medals with a strong emphasis on decoration and embellishment." (Kavanagh, Kuhling, Keohane 2008, 734)
Here are some examples of types of outfits worn by dancers. All designed are from Kerry Designs. To see more, please click here: https://www.kerry-designs.com/gallery
Photo Credit: https://www.kerry-designs.com/gallery
Dance Shoes
There are 2 types of shoes used for Irish dancing, soft shoes (left) and hard shoes (right). The soft shoes can be similar to ballet shoes where there is a soft sole and is more flexible. The hard shoes are similar to tap shoes and are used for harder foot movements. The type of movements and footwork can depend on the type of shoes worn. Both make is easier to go onto your tiptoes, as some of the dance moves require that.
Competitions
There are two type of competitions, or Oireachtas. The two types are feis, which are local competitions and Major, which are more championship style competitions. (irelandseye.com) Feiseanna, the plural form of feis, are throughout the year. Any level of dancer could perform in fieseanna. They would incorporate dancing, music and singing. The Majors were a large competitions for more advanced dancers. They are more traditional and located in countries all over and not just in Ireland, like the United States. (O'Connell Academy) How well you do in the feis competitions can help lead to the majors.
Dancers start competing at the age 5 up until around 21. The competitions normally will require different dance moves and steps.
Photo Credit: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/10/27/358107719/irish-dance-steps-up-diversity
For an example of some of the different types of dance moves, please watch this clip from the UCWDC Worlds in 2016:
Video Credit to the owner.
Photo Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/379709812312510882/
Photo Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/518969557033650418/