Irish Step Dancing Costumes: Dance Styles


Figure 1.--Notice how the Irish step dancer hold his arms rigidly to his sides a major difference with the less restrained Scottish Highland dancing.

Dance styles have of course changed over time. In modern Irish step dancing, arms and hands are held rigid during solo dances. This was not always the case. Previously they were sometimes more relaxed and were even placed on hips. The lack of arm movement in modern step dancing may have been the influence of parish priests. Some dance historians believe that stiff arms were considered less provocative. Others argue that the Church was trying to increase dancers' self control. The hands held stiffly at the side are today one of the most distinctive charateristics of Irish step dancing. Hand movements, however, still occur in figure (group) dances, in part required by the interactions between the dancers. One growing debate in Irish dance is the "battering" or the noise made by hard shoes on wooden stages. This is another of the impacts of the popularity of Michael O’Flaherty and "River Dance".

Old Style

One source describes an old style of Irish step dancing. THis style survived in rural Ireland into the 1990s, but has now virtually disappeared. It is strikingly different from modern Irish step dancing let alone commercial dance forms like River Dance. The old style was described as effortless and low to the ground. The footwork involved heel and toe beats to make gentle clicking sounds in time to the music. Thwere was none of the battering often employed by modern dancers. Some tep dancing experts insist that this more elegant footwork better demonstrated the expertise of the dancer. This style was once widespread throughout Ireland and Scotland as well.

Hand Movements

Dance styles have of course changed over time. In modern Irish step dancing, arms and hands are held rigid during solo dances. This was not always the case. Previously they were sometimes more relaxed and were even placed on hips. There are endless theories as to why Irish dance evolved without the hand movements that, for example, are such an important part of Scottish dancing. There are in general many similarities between Irish and Scottish dancing, so this difference is so striking. Interestingly, most explanations seem tom mention either the Church or the pub, not surprisingkly as both are so strongly associated with Ireland. Some believe The lack of arm movement in modern step dancing may have been the influence of parish priests. Many of the theories seem to focus on the Church. Some mainatin that the hands are held stiffly out of respect for the Church. Some dance historians believe that stiff arms were preferred by priestrs because they were considered less provocative. Others argue that the Church was trying to increase dancers' self control. There are other theories, perhaps more fun than serious. Some insist that in small pubs, dancers were less likely to knock dricjs off tables if their hands were held to their sides. In truth, however, no one really knows how this convention developed. How ever it came about, the hands held stiffly at the side are today one of the most distinctive charateristics of Irish step dancing. Hand movements, however, still occur in figure (group) dances, in part required by the interactions between the dancers. A dancer tells us, "The use of hands has become popular thanks to 'Riverdance' and 'Lord of the Dance', but only in shows. There is no hand movement in any competitions, competitors seen moving the upper body or arms will have points taken off their score. Irish dance is always 'Body of Ice, Feet of Fire'." [Cipollo]

Battering

One growing debate in Irish dance is the "battering" or the noise made by hard shoes on wooden stages. This is another of the impacts of the popularity of Michael O’Flaherty and "River Dance" in which the sound of the feet is very important. Dancers debate the issue of battering and the type of soles on their shoes to achieve the level of sound that they want. Many dancers are currently experimenting. I like to do some battering while dancing but most of the time cannot hear what the tip of my shoes is doing. I have tried metal bits but it is rather too noisy and sounds like tap dancing. So I finally found a shoemaker near my place that would be ready to do it the old-fashioned way." Light-weight fiberglass soles have proven popular with some dancers. A dancer explains, "We used to have the shoemaker put a graded leather toe piece on the tips of the shoe and bang tons of nails into the tips and also on the heels. Now we use fiberglass and composites instead. Much lighter." Another dancer reader asks, however, "Lightweight maybe, but incredibly noisy! Can you not just wear leather dancing shoes, like character shoes or summat? It seems to me that a rake of nails or fiberglass tips would make for quite a clackity-clackity-clackity sound, no? I find loud shoes extremely distracting, myself."

Sources

Cipollo, Kaelyn. E-mail message, August 13, 2004.






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Created: February 2, 2002
Last updated: 10:24 PM 12/14/2006