Irish Dance History

Although I always knew the beauty and the vibrancy of Irish dance, I was really mesmerized by the various forms when I first saw Riverdance, which had some really beautiful compositions. Irish dance is found in various types of forms and styles and this is one of the most graceful yet energetic dance forms that I have come across. Irish dance history is as varied and rich as Irish dancing itself. Today, the Irish dance is growing in its popularity and many modern dancers have made modifications along the way as well.

Irish Dance History:

To understand and know more about Irish dance history, you would first need to know about the various categories of this dance form. One can broadly classify Irish dancing under the following categories:

• Social Dances- These can be further divided into céilí and set dancing.
• Performance Dances- This can include the very popular step dancing.

Ireland has always been associated with the very stylish step dancing and Irish music also has a major part to play with this. One can trace the roots of the old style of Irish step dancing to the olden days when sailors danced these steps as a way to entertain themselves. The sailors had no source for music and thus the old style step dancing was developed in the late 18th century. These Irish dance patterns were stylized and improved upon by the Irish dance masters. One needed to keep the arms slightly loose and create sounds with their toes. It was only towards the end of the 18th century that one could see solo dancing arrive on the scene especially in the form of step dancing.

The Irish dance masters played a very important role in Irish dance history. These are the people who developed steps and introduced a particular kind of a discipline amongst those who wanted to pursue Irish dance. The dance masters of the olden days used to be dressed in a particular fashion with swallow tailed coats and tight knee breeches. His arrival was considered to be a delightful affair and he would often stay with farmers and would teach the children step dancing lessons for free!

One can also see during the mid 16th century, Irish dances were performed in beautiful castle halls especially in newly built castles. One particular kind of a dance that was seen was the Trenchmore, which was adapted from an old style of an Irish peasant dance. Apart from this, another dance form was visibly popular in this era; it was known as Hey. Here, the female dancers needed to wind themselves around the partners.

The Sean-nós style of dancing actually means an old form of dancing according to the Irish language. Sean-nó dancers generally danced to one musician.

Céilí dancing is basically a style of Irish dancing. This term was derived in the late 19th century. This style of dancing generally required 3 people and one could even add around 16 dancers as well. Such style of dancing was always fast and had an energetic look. It is said that the Normans probably introduced the round dance into Ireland. This was around the 12th century. Originally, the word Céilí referred to a gathering of people who came together to have a good time. Céilí dancing was even danced at the crossroads in the olden days.

Set dancing was another style of Irish dancing. Here, dancing of the steps is based according to a particular set tune. This dance is said to have its base on the Quadrilles that was danced at the French courts. The set dancing generally used four couples and was always danced on flat feet. It was also seen that set dancing varied from place to place. This style of dancing also had a strong foothold in those areas where the original culture and tradition of Ireland was valued a lot.

Over the centuries, one can see that several steps of various Irish dances have been modified in various ways. This has formed the base of the rich culture of Irish dancing. Even today, we can see steps such as jigs, polkas, reels and hornpipes being performed in Irish dancing.

The costumes for the Irish dance was based upon the traditional peasant dress worn in Ireland. These were often decorated with hand embroidery for women where as men wore a plain kilt and a folded cloak. The cloak was used to drape the shoulder.

Since the olden days, Irish dance was always accompanied by Irish music that was played with the help of bagpipes and the harp.

Thus we see how the various influences have shaped the Irish dances along the way. This itself became a firm foundation for the very energetic and vibrant Irish dances which we see today.

• Read more about Irish culture
• Read about Irish music