The Modern History of Irish Dancing
Generally agreed to have started with the founding of
the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) in 1893, the modern
history of Irish dancing began with a revival of the Irish
culture and traditions so long suppressed by the English.
This
revival took a step (or rather leap) forward in 1929 with
the founding of the Irish Dancing Commission (An Coimisiun
le Rinci Gaelacha) in order to formalise the rules and
regulations with regards to tuition, contests and the
judging of performances which previously had a multitude
of variations from region to region; a role which it maintains
into the present day.
During the 20th century, the history
of Irish dancing has seen an evolution, both in terms
of complexity and technique.
Whereas before, the artist’s stage had mainly consisted
of doors, table tops and even flatbed trucks, the standardising
of Irish dance meant an increase in stage sizes which
allowed dancers a far greater freedom of expression and
led to the development of complex and often quite athletic
dance steps.
Furthermore, the latter part of the century
saw an explosion in the worldwide popularity of Irish
dancing, thanks to such stage shows as Riverdance and
Lord of the Dance.
Participation levels have also changed dramatically since
1929.
Before the formalisation of Irish dance, dancers where
mainly men, and girls dancing solo at competition level
were a rarity, the gradual change of the art has led to
the vast majority of dancers being instructed and competing
(both part-time and professionally) being women these
days.
The modern history of Irish dancing has also seen
a pronounced change in the costumes worn by dancers.
During the 1800s it was common for female dancers to wear
everyday garb or maybe ‘Sunday
Best’ whilst performing or competing.
After 1893 however, this changed to a cloak (or sometimes
a shawl) worn over a white dress with a sash.
By the 1930s this ensemble had evolved and the cloak was
forsaken in favour of the shawl which is now commonly
worn at the back of costumes and fixed to the dancer’s
dress by brooches.
Costume colours which originally consisted
of the traditional Irish green with white and saffron
trim have also changed with the times.
Whereas red, though a traditional colour, was originally
shunned due to its association with the English, it has
now become an accepted part of the Irish dance costume
along with a multitude of other shades.
The introduction
of soft-soled Irish dance shoes for girls dancing jigs
and reels at some point during the early 1920s led to
the evolution of the footwear used by today’s performers.
Evolution in hard shoes which now involve a wide range
of toe tips and hollow heels has also brought forth a
change in many dances and produced the characteristic
noise now associated with Irish dance shows.
Click here for the Ancient History of Irish Dancing
Click here to find out more about the individual Irish
dances and
their music.
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Ancient History of Irish Dancing
Despite the fact that most early Irish cultural records were destroyed
by viking raiders, we know that the history
of Irish dancing dates
back some two thousand years and that much of the Celtic culture
at this time was devoted to music and dance.
During its early days, Irish dance was a part of Feisianna, a kind
of political, trade and cultural meeting held at various times
throughout Ireland.
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