Irish Dance Research Paper
Irish Step Dance is not only a form of art, but is also a form of history and a sport. Irish dance started as early as 400 AD. Throughout history this type of dance changed with each generation. Historians believe that the Druids were the first group of people to perform this type of dance. Many people believe that Irish Dance has changed greatly over the last hundred years while others believe that it has stayed the same. As time elapsed, Irish dance evolved to what it is today. When most people today hear the words “Irish Step Dance” they think of Riverdance or Lord of the Dance or some show involving Irish Dance. Those types of shows are similar to Irish dance but, at the same time they are different. Old Irish Dance and modern Irish Dance
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are similar in regards to dance culture.
There is not a lot of early history of Irish Dance but there is information of people who would migrate to different places and depending on the ethnicity of the person or group of people, he or she would bring a different part or type of dance from their region.1 The Druids were one of the first group of people to practice Irish dance. The Druids danced in religious rituals and honored the oak tree and the sun. The Druids were practicing this type of ritual while the Celts arrived in Ireland from Central Europe which was over two thousand years ago. The Celts came with their own type of folk dances. The Celt’s folk dance is similar to Irish dance today. Around 400 AD after the conversion of Christianity, the priests changed the style of dancing for people in higher classes, but the peasants kept the same style. The Anglo-Norman conquest in the 1200’s brought the Norman culture and customs to Ireland. This style is what started all of the different types of dances which can be connected to Irish dance today. A popular Norman dance was called The Carol. In The Carol, there was a large circle of people and in the middle was a leader, who sang. The group would sing along. This type of dance was performed in conquered Irish towns. In the 1600’s, there were three main types of dance in Ireland: the Rinnce Fada (long dance), the Irish Hay, and the Trenchmore. The Rinnce Fada was a long dance which was mostly performed in halls with a lot of people. Dances were performed in great halls in newly built castles.
Most of these dances were created by invaders of the 1600’s. An example is the Trenchmore. The Trenchmore is an old Irish peasant dance. After this dance was created, another dance which originated from this it was called The Hay. In The Hay, the female dancers would dance around the male dance in a fashion similar to the current day reel dance. The Reel is upbeat it is played in 4/4 time and cut time. This means that it is fast which means the dancer has to move fast as well. In the 1800’s, there was a group of dance teachers called the Dance Master’s. They arrived at Ireland, going village to village to teach the peasants to dance. Each master had their own village or town to teach. These masters were outgoing and wore bright colors. The peasants did not know the difference between their left and right feet so the master called their left foot, “lift hay foot” and the right foot, “lift straw foot”. Solo dancing also occurred. Only the good dancers got to do solos. In most cases, the doors would be taken off of their hinges for the dancers to perform on. Each Dancing Master had their own district and he or she would have to stay in their own territory or else they would be a risk of being kidnapped. When the
dancing masters met up at fairs, they would challenge each other and the winner was determined by whoever dances the longest without stopping. This is how competitions were created. The dancing masters were the teachers and whoever they taught would be the students and they would challenge each other to see who would win. Irish Step Dancing was not allowed on Sunday’s, so to make up for it, dancers would keep their arms by their sides so if anyone was walking by a window, it would look like the dancer was just walking around instead of actually dancing. Girls would also have to curl their hair on Sunday’s for church. After church many would go dance, even though it was not allowed. This is why dancers curl their hair and keep their arms by their sides. These practices are still in act today.
are similar in regards to dance culture.
There is not a lot of early history of Irish Dance but there is information of people who would migrate to different places and depending on the ethnicity of the person or group of people, he or she would bring a different part or type of dance from their region.1 The Druids were one of the first group of people to practice Irish dance. The Druids danced in religious rituals and honored the oak tree and the sun. The Druids were practicing this type of ritual while the Celts arrived in Ireland from Central Europe which was over two thousand years ago. The Celts came with their own type of folk dances. The Celt’s folk dance is similar to Irish dance today. Around 400 AD after the conversion of Christianity, the priests changed the style of dancing for people in higher classes, but the peasants kept the same style. The Anglo-Norman conquest in the 1200’s brought the Norman culture and customs to Ireland. This style is what started all of the different types of dances which can be connected to Irish dance today. A popular Norman dance was called The Carol. In The Carol, there was a large circle of people and in the middle was a leader, who sang. The group would sing along. This type of dance was performed in conquered Irish towns. In the 1600’s, there were three main types of dance in Ireland: the Rinnce Fada (long dance), the Irish Hay, and the Trenchmore. The Rinnce Fada was a long dance which was mostly performed in halls with a lot of people. Dances were performed in great halls in newly built castles.
Most of these dances were created by invaders of the 1600’s. An example is the Trenchmore. The Trenchmore is an old Irish peasant dance. After this dance was created, another dance which originated from this it was called The Hay. In The Hay, the female dancers would dance around the male dance in a fashion similar to the current day reel dance. The Reel is upbeat it is played in 4/4 time and cut time. This means that it is fast which means the dancer has to move fast as well. In the 1800’s, there was a group of dance teachers called the Dance Master’s. They arrived at Ireland, going village to village to teach the peasants to dance. Each master had their own village or town to teach. These masters were outgoing and wore bright colors. The peasants did not know the difference between their left and right feet so the master called their left foot, “lift hay foot” and the right foot, “lift straw foot”. Solo dancing also occurred. Only the good dancers got to do solos. In most cases, the doors would be taken off of their hinges for the dancers to perform on. Each Dancing Master had their own district and he or she would have to stay in their own territory or else they would be a risk of being kidnapped. When the
dancing masters met up at fairs, they would challenge each other and the winner was determined by whoever dances the longest without stopping. This is how competitions were created. The dancing masters were the teachers and whoever they taught would be the students and they would challenge each other to see who would win. Irish Step Dancing was not allowed on Sunday’s, so to make up for it, dancers would keep their arms by their sides so if anyone was walking by a window, it would look like the dancer was just walking around instead of actually dancing. Girls would also have to curl their hair on Sunday’s for church. After church many would go dance, even though it was not allowed. This is why dancers curl their hair and keep their arms by their sides. These practices are still in act today.