Insight into the world of Irish Dancing...
Hello everyone!
So, there is two types of Irish dancing. The first is Solo Dances. Solo dances tend to be performed at competitions which are called a Feis. These competitions take place all over the world. Feis are held by all the organisations which oversee Irish dance, with most Feis being confined to only those dancers who take lessons with a teacher certified by that particular organisation. However, there are a number of organisations (primarily CRN and WIDA along with its affiliated organisations) who organise 'open Feis', which are open to any dancer regardless of their teacher's organisation (or if they are self-taught). To show you what typical Feis looks like, here's a look.
Now to dresses!! At a Feis, girls wear a very intricately detailed dress which typically has long sleeves and a short skirt. These dresses, more often than not can cost from between £250 right up to £5000 (there may be more expensive ones but that's the most expensive I have ever seen!!) And these dresses aren't just plain material, if they were then Irish dance wouldn't be what it is today! These dresses are extremely detailed with Celtic patterns, bright colours and SPARKLES! And by sparkles, I have actually seen a dress which had Swarovski crystals on it! Like holy moly, I can't even begin to imagine the price of that! There are several different Dress Designers but some of the main ones are Gavin Doherty and Celtic Star (and these don't come cheap!) Here is a look at the variety of dresses that can be seen!
As for shoes, there are two different types. There is "Soft / Light" shoe which is worn when dancing the various different dances such as Reel, Light Jig, Single Jig and Slip Jig. Personally, my favourite dance is the Reel because I love the fast music! There is also "Hard / Heavy" shoes which are used to make noise (normally associated with Riverdance when everyone is dancing in a line!) Heavy shoes are danced in when doing a Heavy Jig, Hornpipe, Set Dance and for Treble reels. For a Feis, dancers typically wear long white socks called "Poodle Socks" (weird name I know) and these can also be decorated with gems or sparkles (yay for sparkles!!)
Soft / Light shoes. Heavy / Hard shoes.
When people think about Irish dancing, they normally think of A. The dancer being Irish B. The dancer having ginger hair and C. Being very pale skinned. And that is where they are SOOOO wrong! The typical modern day Irish dancer look involves:
1. A wig (whether it be full head wig or a bun wig) Pictures are just below!
2. An endless amount of fake tan (used for their legs)
3. About 1000 Kirby grips or bobby pins to hold their wig in.
4. Make up. Lots of it.
5. Their dress, shoes and socks (obviously).
The style of solo Irish dance is basically to perform very skilled and intricate movements with precision but to look graceful and relaxed whilst doing it (I can't say I look that graceful when I'm dancing haha!) A dancer has to keep a straight back, shoulders back and relaxed with chest pushed out, arms relaxed but firm at their side, with their legs straight and feet turned out and always dancing on your toes. Doesn't sound that hard right? Wrong.
So, you now have a little insight into the world of Irish Dancing! And I haven't even gone into details about everything! I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'm sure there will be much more Irish Dance posts in the future!!
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Those of you who know me, you all know by now that I am completely and
utterly obsessed with Irish Dancing. This obsession has gradually grown since I started dancing almost two and a half years ago. I dance at Peacock Dance Academy which is based in Edinburgh and taught by TCRG's Nathalie Peacock and Daniella Haak (who are absolutely amazing teachers).
However, before I do show you I must tell you one thing, Irish Dancing is NOT Riverdance. Riverdance is a production by Michael Flatley (who is a huge inspiration by the way), and Riverdance involves both types of Irish Dance. Okay? Now that I have cleared up that stereotype, let's take a look at the world of Irish dance!
So, there is two types of Irish dancing. The first is Solo Dances. Solo dances tend to be performed at competitions which are called a Feis. These competitions take place all over the world. Feis are held by all the organisations which oversee Irish dance, with most Feis being confined to only those dancers who take lessons with a teacher certified by that particular organisation. However, there are a number of organisations (primarily CRN and WIDA along with its affiliated organisations) who organise 'open Feis', which are open to any dancer regardless of their teacher's organisation (or if they are self-taught). To show you what typical Feis looks like, here's a look.
Now to dresses!! At a Feis, girls wear a very intricately detailed dress which typically has long sleeves and a short skirt. These dresses, more often than not can cost from between £250 right up to £5000 (there may be more expensive ones but that's the most expensive I have ever seen!!) And these dresses aren't just plain material, if they were then Irish dance wouldn't be what it is today! These dresses are extremely detailed with Celtic patterns, bright colours and SPARKLES! And by sparkles, I have actually seen a dress which had Swarovski crystals on it! Like holy moly, I can't even begin to imagine the price of that! There are several different Dress Designers but some of the main ones are Gavin Doherty and Celtic Star (and these don't come cheap!) Here is a look at the variety of dresses that can be seen!
As for shoes, there are two different types. There is "Soft / Light" shoe which is worn when dancing the various different dances such as Reel, Light Jig, Single Jig and Slip Jig. Personally, my favourite dance is the Reel because I love the fast music! There is also "Hard / Heavy" shoes which are used to make noise (normally associated with Riverdance when everyone is dancing in a line!) Heavy shoes are danced in when doing a Heavy Jig, Hornpipe, Set Dance and for Treble reels. For a Feis, dancers typically wear long white socks called "Poodle Socks" (weird name I know) and these can also be decorated with gems or sparkles (yay for sparkles!!)
Soft / Light shoes. Heavy / Hard shoes.
When people think about Irish dancing, they normally think of A. The dancer being Irish B. The dancer having ginger hair and C. Being very pale skinned. And that is where they are SOOOO wrong! The typical modern day Irish dancer look involves:
1. A wig (whether it be full head wig or a bun wig) Pictures are just below!
2. An endless amount of fake tan (used for their legs)
3. About 1000 Kirby grips or bobby pins to hold their wig in.
4. Make up. Lots of it.
5. Their dress, shoes and socks (obviously).
The style of solo Irish dance is basically to perform very skilled and intricate movements with precision but to look graceful and relaxed whilst doing it (I can't say I look that graceful when I'm dancing haha!) A dancer has to keep a straight back, shoulders back and relaxed with chest pushed out, arms relaxed but firm at their side, with their legs straight and feet turned out and always dancing on your toes. Doesn't sound that hard right? Wrong.
So, you now have a little insight into the world of Irish Dancing! And I haven't even gone into details about everything! I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'm sure there will be much more Irish Dance posts in the future!!
Catch you later,
GundysandRoses
Social media links:
Instagram - www.Instagram.com/jemmagunderson
Tumblr - GundysandRoses.Tumblr.com
Facebook - www.Facebook.com/GundysandRoses
Keek - www.Keek.com/Gunderson2808
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