Irish dance

Dance plays an extremely large part in Irish culture. It serves as a basis for Irish ritual, as it has not only been used in courtly ceremonies but has also been seen in funeral rituals throughout Irish history. Today, Irish step dancing is an extremely serious and competitive sport. Although traditional Irish dance has undergone many changes to reach its current grandeur, Irish dance has a humble beginning as a social activity designed to bring people together. The first mention of Irish dance in history is seen in a letter written by Sir James Sydney to Queen Elizabeth I in 1596. Arthur Flynn summarizes Sir James’ statements “Sydney went on to describe the dance formation, observing the dancers in two straight lines which suggests that…

Commercialization of Irish Dance Since Riverdance Since Riverdance hit the world stage in 1995, the culture of Irish Dance has evolved and grown. However, experts within the dance community disagree whether and to what extent Riverdance has played a role in these changes. The scholarly articles, dissertations, and books examined in this literature review examine different aspects of the art and sport: changes in costumes, technique and demographic of the dancers. Most rely on first-hand…

I was so excited! At age 6, my mom took me to a local municipal building to learn how to tap my feet to fiddler music. I had entered the world of Irish dance and by age 9, I was on a plane to Nashville, Tennessee to compete in the National Championships. I was hoping to even get a glimpse of Michael Flatley, as I had heard he sometimes showed up. Who would have thought wearing an uncomfortable wig, extremely tight shoes and dancing in an unnatural position could be so much fun? But I loved…

In a world full of bright stage lights, curly wigs, fake tanned legs, and bedazzled dresses, competitive Irish dance seems more like a Toddlers and Tiaras episode than an actual sport. However, behind all of the glitz and glam, Irish dance not only taught me how to put on a full face of makeup and lace my ghillies, but how to use my experiences from failure to benefit future success. Through setbacks and defeat in dance competitions, I learned to let go of my insecurities and allow my potential…

about dance? How has it affected the world or how it has evolved into a worldwide language? Well if your answer was no then you might want to think again because our world is beginning to bring back their history and is turning into a world of dance. Dances history is extremely important to today’s world because it affects the way you think of the arts and your way of life. Dance has been a tradition since the beginning, however, people are now also starting to make changes to those…

are a wide variety of dances that date the entire way back to the Middle Ages, all the way to our modern dances now. After watching these videos the most important factor established was the history of each dance group. If the dance was from an earlier time period religion really played a factor. Religion is represented through the music and also the style of the dance. The different moves incorporated by the body were very important and their outfits even played a large role as well. One thing…

history, Irish culture has faced its fair share of tragedy, alienation and isolation from the rest of european culture. However, one facet of the culture has continued to thrive since it’s creation. Irish Step dancing, which first appeared in the 1700s, has been such a successful part of Irish culture, that it still remains at the pinnacle today, almost two hundred years after its creation. Irish culture has changed over time as the Irish survived through famine and an domineering and…

Dictionary, is the act to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps. It is undeniable that the definition of dance is much more abundant than just one’s intrinsic body movement. People devote a lot of time to choreograph complex actions, of which require intensive training; to put in affecting emotions, of which require deep thinking; and to put inspiring moods, of which require precise depiction. In fact, dance is probably the most profound and complex art form yet…

Hi, I'm Moria (pronounced Mo-ri-ah, like Mariah Carey, or like "They Call the Wind Mariah" from Paint Your Wagon Red. Pick your genre.) This is my Cultural Diversity Blog for my cultural diversity health course at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. A couple of things about me: I'm Irish. Very Irish. I did Irish dancing for 9 years & my 5-year-old is in her 2nd year of Irish dance. I started dancing again with her this past fall. We'll be walking in Milwaukee's St. Patrick's Day Parade &…

Quitting dance will be the worst mistake- why do you want to stop something when you have just begun? Trying to convince my dance instructor that it was what I needed to do was hard enough, but convincing myself that it was the right thing was even harder. That day, I battled internally with choose between my two loves, but now looking back do not regret a day after my decision. I remember that fresh spring morning, going to my first Irish dance class, where I found my first love. Those dance…