Figure 1.--Boys in Irish dancing have traditionally worn suits, kilts, shoulder sashes, and knee socks. Notice how peretly tured out this boy is. The boys are usually carefully inspected by mom before performing to ensure that costume is just right. |
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We all know that how the dancer looks at a Feis shouldn't really be your main concern. After all, gleaming shoes won't help if you haven't been practising. But there's no doubt that adjudicators are swayed by appearance. Many adjudicators used to rate boys dancing in kilts higher than those performing in long trousers, but few admitted it. This is less true today. It is undeniably true that first impressions do count. It is thus important that the competitive dancer look presentable and happy up on stage. The power of the smile should never be underestimated!
The damcing competitionsat feises were promarily judged on dancung skill. But as many of the dancers were skilled, mothers and fanceing school teachers inevitably put a considerable emphasis on turn out, bith hair and costume. Fortunately for the boys this simply meant a good comb. The girls had a much greater emohasis on hair styling. Ringlet curls were popular. And this meant much more than a simple comb. And then came the costume. Irish dancers wore elaborate costumes. The girls wear elaborateky embrodered dresses emulating swirling Irish designs in a wide ramge of colors. The designs largely come from the beautifully illustrated Book of Kells. The boys' costumes were not as elaborate, but before River Dance were mostly kilt outfits with sashes along with ties and knee socks. Children begin partiioating in feises at about 6 years of age. To get the hair combed the costume correct, the tie tied and the knee socks pulled up the younger boys needed mother tom sort everything out. And even older boys had a little help getting their costume in perfect order. Unless this was done, a poorly outfitted cotume could be distracting to the adjuticators. And while the focus was onnthe dance steps, a perfectly turned outbdance could not help but create a good impression.
Irish dance costumes can be very expensive. If you are just starting out, and especially if you live in a hotter climate, it's best to wear a simple skirt and blouse for girls, and plain shirt and kilt or trousers for boys. While trousers can be inexpensive, kilts are quite costly,. An in expensive alternative, a dancer desperate for some 'Celtic Couture' can start off with a decent second hand dress which you can usually buy from your school. Girls solo dresses are usually made from rich velvet or garberdine, or a lighter material like raw silk or lace, which make it easier to leap and kick higher. Class costumes are normally simpler, and worn by all members of the figure or Ceili dance team. Many schools have their own colors. Boys now make the choice of wearing the traditional kilt, or the more contemporary choice of trousers, plus a coloured shirt and a cummerbund or jacket. Boys used to be strongly incouraged to wear kilts. There is today more flexibility, although many traditionalists still strongly prefer for boys to perform in kilts.
Hair is primaily a concern for the girl dancers. To curl or not to curl - that is the question! With the advent of the wig, parents around the globe have thrown down the rollers in relief. There are really three options. Leave it nice and natural a la Riverdance. A neat little ponytail, or bun should do the trick.
Get the curlers out (unless you've got natural Shirley Temple ringlets!) There are plenty of good curling sets available world-wide, and if you use a setting lotion beforehand, and a ton of hairspray afterwards, your curls will stay bouncy. There are drawbacks though, as many a dancer will tell you; trying to sleep with the curlers in for three nights on the trot is NOT a pleasant experience!
Forget your own hair, and grab a wig! Perfect for short hair, or tempers, there is now a great choice of synthetic or real hair, and a vast range of colours - all at a price of course.
These are equipment, more than accessories, so should be bought and treated with care. Girls wear soft shoes (pomps) and hard shoes (heavies), and boys wear light shoes with a small heel (reel shoes) and the same hard shoes as girls. The hard shoes are usually twice as expensive, and are made with a fibreglass toe tip and heel to produce that infectious tapping. Flexi-soles are a great type of hard shoe, as you don't really need to break them in, and they are a lot more comfortable to dance on. Be careful to buy Irish hard shoes, and not American tap shoes. They are not strong enough to withstand the hard banging of the Irish style.
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