Don't know too much about Irish Dance? Learn the Basics!

What is Irish Dance?

Irish Dance is a wonderful and graceful type of traditional dance. It is quite old and has been dated back to the ancient Celts and Druids. It was influenced by French and English dance masters. Irish Dancing consists mainly of solo dance steps and Ceili, or group, dances. Irish immigrants brought Irish dance to the United States. Mainly Riverdance and Lord of the Dance have popularized it.

The Shoes * * *

Beginning dancers can start off in sneakers or tennis shoes. The first shoes a beginning Irish Dancer will get are the Soft-shoes. These shoes are used for dances such as the reel, light jig, slip jig, and single jig. Girls' soft-shoes lace up criss-cross style and are made of black leather. Boys' soft-shoes are also made of black leather and lace up the front in a way similar to that of tennis shoes. The soft-shoes are ordered and the Butler School will give you information on ordering them.

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The second pair of shoes an Irish Dancer will receive are the hard shoes. Hard shoes are used for dances such as the hornpipe and treble jig. Hard shoes have a fiberglass tip and heel, are made of black leather and lace up like the boys' soft-shoes. Hard shoes should not be bought until the teacher approves it.

The Costumes

At an Irish Dance competition called a Feis (pronounced: fesh), dancers wear costumes. At your first feis, you do not have to have a costume. A skirt and blouse will do fine for girls or pants and a shirt for boys. Most boys continue wearing the shirt and pants unless they choose to wear a kilt.

The first costume a girl will received will be her school dress. The school dress is the same for all the girls in the dance school she is attending. At the Butler School, we have two different school dresses. The first is black with yellow in the kick pleats and two swans embroidered on it. For the younger girls it has a lace collar and for the women it has a yellow collar. Both of those dresses have yellow capes. The second school dress is black with green lining underneath and in the kick pleats. It has swans embroidered on it and has a yellow cape. This dress has a lace collar.

The Second dress a girl dancer will get is her solo dress. Championship level dancers wear solo dresses. Solo dresses are beautiful dresses made with velvet and colorful embroidery. Tiaras are often worn with a solo dress.