Irish stepdance

The tradition & historical record

Irish stepdance is a style of performance dance with its roots in traditional Irish dance. It may be generally characterized by a stiff upper body and fast and precise movements of the feet, and can be performed solo or in groups. Aside from public dance performances, there are also stepdance competitions all over the world. These competitions are often called Feiseanna (singular Feis). In Irish dance culture, a Feis is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. Contemporarily, costumes are sometimes considered important in Irish stepdance; costumes are typically designed to attract the judge's eye in competitions and the audience's eye in performance, with widely varying colors and patterns. In many cases, costumes are sold at high prices and can even be custom made. General appearance beside the costume is also equally important, with female dancers typically wearing curly wigs or curling their hair and male dancers often neatly styling their hair to a shape to their liking for competition or performance. Additionally, poodle socks are worn by female dancers while males wear plain black socks. Poodle socks are white socks that have distinctive ribbing, and can be embroidered with gems. ²

The dancing traditions of Ireland are likely to have grown in tandem with Irish traditional music. Its first roots may have been in Pre-Christian Ireland, but Irish dance was also partially influenced by dance forms on the Continent, especially the quadrille dances. Some of the earliest recorded references to Irish dance are to the Rinnce Fada or "long dance", towards the end of the 17th century, which was performed largely during social occasions. Traveling dancing masters taught all over Ireland beginning around the 1750s and continuing as late as the early 1900s. By the late 19th century, at least three related styles of step dance had developed in Ireland. The style practised in Munster saw dancers on the balls of their feet, using intricate percussive techniques to create complex rhythm. On the other hand, a tradition developed in Ulster saw dancers instead using their heel to create a persistent drumming effect, and primarily performing in pairs. The Connemara style, later described as sean-nós dance, combined heel and ball movements with the swaying of the torso and vigorous movement of the arms. The foundation of the Gaelic League in 1893, an Irish nationalist body formed with the purpose of preserving traditional Irish language and culture, radically altered the cultural status of step dance. Frank Hall has described this as the moment in which "step-Dancing in Ireland became 'Irish dancing'", and as therefore the most significant single event in the development of the dance form. Although informal competitions had long been held between towns and students of different dance masters, the first organised feis was held in 1897 by the League. The League began to codify and promote the form of step dance which was practiced in southern areas. ²

In 1927, the Gaelic League set up An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG, the Irish Dancing Commission), a separate body dedicated to the organisation and standardisation of Irish dance. CLRG created certifications for dance teachers and began to hold examinations for adjudicators of feisanna. In the 19th century, the Irish diaspora had spread Irish dance all over the world, especially to North America and Australia. However, schools and feiseanna were not established until the early 1900s: in America these tended to be created within Irish-American urban communities, notably in Chicago and Massachusetts. The first classes in stepdancing were held there by the Philadelphia-born John McNamara. According to the BBC's A Short History of Irish Dance, "The nature of the Irish dance tradition has changed and adapted over the centuries to accommodate and reflect changing populations and the fusion of new cultures. The history of Irish dancing is as a result a fascinating one. The popular Irish dance stage shows of the past ten years have reinvigorated this cultural art, and today Irish dancing is healthy, vibrant, and enjoyed by people across the globe." The first television broadcast of Irish stepdance, on CBS in 1945, contributed to the increased popularity of a stepdance style originating in Ulster. This style, which incorporated balletic movements and high elevation on the toes, gradually usurped the Munster style with fast, low footwork which had prevailed up to that point. ²

The success of Riverdance and other dance shows in the late 20th century influenced the choreography and presentation of stepdance in both competitive and public performance environments. This included the use of simpler costumes and hairstyles for public performance in imitation of the Riverdance styles, and the development of new dance styles, such as hard shoe dances performed to music typically associated with soft shoes. In competitive dance, movements from flamenco and figure skating began to be incorporated into traditional steps, although such developments were criticised by elements of the competitive dancing community. ²

The techniques involved in Irish stepdance are essentially similar across each of the individual dance styles. The basic style of modern step dance used in competitive contexts evolved from the stylistic features of traditional step dance in Munster. This style is largely performed on the balls of the feet with feet turned outwards. Competitive dancers are judged on posture, timing, rhythm and execution, which in practice means a rigid torso, rapid and intricate footwork, and legs and feet crossed over each other, with knees close together. Irish stepdances can be placed into two categories: solos, which are danced by a single dancer, and ceilis or teams, which are coordinated with 2 or more dancers. ²

Reel, slip jig, hornpipe, and jig are all types of Irish stepdances and are also types of Irish traditional music. These fall into two broad categories based on the shoes worn: 'hard shoe' and 'soft shoe' dances. Reels, which are in 24 or 44 time, and slip jigs, which are in 98 time and sometimes considered to be the lightest and most graceful of the dances, are soft shoe dances. Hornpipes, which can be in 24 or 44 time, are danced in hard shoes. Three jigs are danced in competition: the light jig, the single jig, which is also called the Hop jig, and the treble jig, which is also called double jig. Light and single jigs are in 68 time, and are soft shoes dances, while the treble jig is hard shoe, danced in a slow 68. The last type of jig is the slip jig, which is danced in 98 time. There are many dances, with steps that vary between schools. The traditional set dances (danced in hardshoe) like St. Patrick's Day and the Blackbird, among others, are the only dances that all schools have the same steps. The actual steps in Irish stepdance are usually unique to each school or dance teacher. ²

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Irish stepdance”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ²

Irish stepdance is style of performance dance with its roots in traditional Irish dance, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ¹

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ¹