Dance in Ireland. Encyclopedia of Dance: Irish Dances. Irish dancing in Russia and the CIS

Ireland has always been famous for its unsurpassed dance culture, but recently interest from the world community has increased even more thanks to spectacular shows that use Irish dance in a modern interpretation.

History of the creation of dance art

This culture has gone through its thousand-year history and, according to many researchers, originated from the times of the Celtic peoples, who founded their state on the territory of modern Ireland.

The most ancient image that is somewhat reminiscent of Irish dance is the Celtic Sean-Nos performed by the Gauls who lived on these islands in the distant past.

The first mention of dances similar to today's modern dances dates back to approximately the eleventh century.

A little later, under the influence of the Norman conquerors, a completely different performance culture began to emerge - a group of people dancing in a circle. And in palaces and balls, Irish dance began to gain popularity already in the sixteenth century.

A little later, about two centuries later, the first teachers of dance art appeared, thanks to whom many types and varieties of the current modern variations arose. But at the same time, terrible oppression of this culture began, so the performance of the dances was kept in strict confidence. The church considered the art of dance to be obscene. Many historians agree that Irish dance acquired the characteristic motionless position of the hands on the belt precisely after Christian priests declared that dancing in this way was indecent and inappropriate, reminiscent of sacrilege or an invisible connection with a demon.

Modern look

Already in the nineteenth century, various competitions in which the prize could be a large pie began to gain popularity in small villages and towns. The modern period in dance art begins at the end of the same century. The Gaelic League was created, which set itself the goal of preserving Irish musical culture, which had been oppressed over the last century and a half, at all costs.

Dance rules were established in 1929 by the then Irish Commission, which were in effect at various competitions. As a result, the technique has changed significantly - it is used to perform modern Irish dances to this day. In the 1930s, women began to take part in productions more often and were given the opportunity to teach in educational institutions where they taught the art of dance.

Solo performances

Irish dances have many varieties and types. An amazing pattern of movements can be seen performed by solo dancers. They represent the true embodiment of a certain grace and lightness, but at the same time energy and rhythm. Both soft and hard shoes are suitable for solo. It can look like lace-up ballet shoes or boots with heels, depending on who it is intended for (men's and women's).

How to dance Irish dance, many dancers participating in competitions learn from childhood to a variety of national melodies (reels, jigs, hornpipes), which they use for solo performances. They all have their differences, but the common features are their arms pressed to their sides and beautiful posture with a motionless torso. This is done in order to pay as much attention as possible to the complexity and clarity with which the dancers’ feet move.

Sets

It is worth highlighting traditional sets as a separate category of solo Irish dances. They are performed in hard shoes and represent a standard set of movements. As the Irish dance set is called, so is the name of the melody to which it is danced.

There is also an unconventional form of this style, performed to a slow tune by dancers of the open level. The set of movements may depend on the imagination of the teacher or the wishes of the performer.

Group dancing

This variety is distinguished by the fact that the dancers stand opposite each other, thereby forming a square, basically these are the famous quadrilles. They are not native Irish, so their movements can be found in various European styles. The differences between the dances are in the number of figures, which can vary from three to six.

In the 80s, this type became widely known to the public and was taught in many dance schools. Today, social group dances are performed at a very high speed and in a wild manner.

Kaylee

This word literally means “a fun holiday with music and dancing.” At the beginning of the twentieth century, a new style of group performances also began to be called by this term, which has survived to this day.

Keighley is usually danced in soft shoes and, unlike the solo types, the dancers use hand movements. The main thing in its implementation is the complete interaction of all partners.

Basically, this type of dance is performed to jigs and reels. They include a different number of dancers: from four to sixteen. Variations can be very different, but often these are two or four pairs of people standing opposite each other. All types of keili can be divided into linear (progressive) or curly. The first ones mean that all the dancers stand in the form of one large and long line. When they dance the entire full cycle, they move one position, and accordingly they perform the next stage of the dance with a new partner.

The second type of caylie is most often found at competitions or representative events. Various choreographic performances have led to the fact that this category of dances began to resemble real spectacular shows that won the hearts of many spectators.

Nowadays, people of different ages can dance ceilidhs at various parties. And it doesn’t matter in what manner and at what level they are performed - an amazing feeling from freedom of movement and a perky rhythm will always arise in anyone dancing this dance.

It is believed that Irish dances are in no way inferior to oriental dances in their passion, they are simply performed in a more intelligent and secretive manner.

It turns out that Irish step occupies one of the main steps among many dance and production shows.

The tunes to which Irish modern sets and square dances, as well as other forms of this art, are danced, are played mainly on bagpipes, violin and accordion, and the result is a rather catchy and playful melody.

The Irish themselves say that the best dances are Irish dances, which symbolize the strong spirit and unyielding will of this people.

The first information about Irish dancing dates back to c. From this time we have the first evidence of Irish peasant dance parties called feis, (pronounced " F Esh"), however, a description of the dances themselves first appeared in the middle of the 16th century. and was quite lengthy and unclear. Irish dances described included group dances, which were divided into "long" dances (dancers performed the movements while standing in long lines opposite each other), "round" dances (performed figures while standing in pairs in a circle), and sword dances. It is not entirely clear which of the dances described at that time were actually Irish, and which clearly appeared in Ireland under the influence of French and Scottish dances. In any case, these were rather the progenitors of modern set dances and keili dances. However, all ancient Irish dances were characterized by a fast tempo and added steps. Some dances were so popular that they crossed the sea and were adopted by the British. Thus, the often mentioned English country dance Trenchmore is the Irish Rince mor, that is, a “long dance” in a line.

Irish dances

During the course of English colonization, persecution of all manifestations of Irish culture intensified. Punitive laws that were introduced by the British in the middle of the 17th century. prohibited teaching anything to the Irish, including music and dancing. Therefore, for more than 150 years, Irish dancing was taught in secret. Dance culture existed in the form of secret classes held in villages by itinerant dance teachers (called dance masters) and in the form of large village parties where people danced in groups, often under the direction of the same masters. There is information that at rural parties for a long time there was a custom to place a smart boy dancer “on patrol” at a distance from the rest of the dancers. Seeing the enemy, the boy had to make as many conventional movements as he saw the soldiers on the road, and then the adults themselves assessed how dangerous this was for their activities. Dance masters also conducted classes in crowded pubs and simply in large kitchens, standing on a table or on the bottom of a large barrel.

The appearance of dance masters in the first third of the 18th century marked the beginning of the modern dance school. Usually dapper craftsmen, dressed in the latest fashion, went from village to village, stopping at one of the houses. Moreover, hosting a dance teacher was considered a great honor. The dance master was usually hired for a month. At the end of the third week he was paid for teaching dances, and at the end of the fourth week the accompanying musicians were paid. Therefore, many dance teachers tried to combine the professions of a dancer and a musician, first showing the movements and then accompanying their students on the harp or bagpipes, and later on the violin. Each teacher gathered students in a designated place and taught them simple “fashionable” dances from their repertoire. It was thanks to the dance masters that the known forms of jig and reel appeared. All movements were combined into dance elements, each one was designed for 8 bars of music and was called a “step” or “step”. Therefore, in relation to jigs and reels, which were originally taught by dance masters, and later also in relation to hornpipes, the term “step dancing” is used. It is important to understand that Irish “step dances” are initially associated with “steps” - elements of eight bars, and not with “tap dancing” - kicking in hard shoes, which we usually understand by the word “step”. Although, of course, such blows are included in the “steps” of modern dances in hard shoes in the form of movements.

Irish dances

At that time, mass dances were regularly tried to be banned not only by the English authorities, but also by Catholic priests who were banned, but enjoyed great authority. They considered the movements of arms and legs while dancing to be “slutty.” Therefore, in the original, old school of Irish dance, the dancers kept their hands motionless all the time. However, some researchers say that the requirement to fix the hands was introduced by the masters themselves, primarily not because of church prohibitions, but specifically to complicate the dance and increase self-control and attract the attention of the audience.

The best of the dance masters at the end of the 18th century. began to create the first dance schools, of which the most famous were schools in the South in counties Kerry, Cork and Limerick. There were famous schools in other cities. Each master could come up with his own movements (jumps, hops, turns). Different schools differed in the range of movements used in dancing.

Often, dance masters of the old school held competitions among themselves, and the winner was considered the one who could use more steps and jumps in the dance than his rivals, and not the one who, say, danced more artistically or performed the movements more cleanly. And the loser, along with his school, had to leave the city or village where the competition was held and make room for the winning master and his students. Thus, the first dance competitions between masters served not only to identify the best, but also to divide spheres of influence between schools.

At the beginning of the 19th century. Pie competitions have also become popular in Irish villages and small towns. A large pie was placed in the center of the dance floor and served as a prize for the best dancer, who eventually “took the pie.” The style of solo dancing that the dance masters brought was called Sean-nos or old school (manner). Solo dancing remained the domain of masters. The best students were trained during mass group dances, French quadrilles and cotillions reinterpreted in the Irish way, which made it possible to introduce many people to dancing, make new pairs, and identify the best. Over time, each of the students, who firmly memorized the sequence of movements in the dance, could become an instructor himself. A strictly defined sequence of steps performed served as the basis for group set dances and those that evolved from them during the creation of the Gaelic League of Cayley Dances, which developed from elements of step dances and French quadrilles.

Types of dances

Jig

It is also mentioned in materials on the ancient history of Ireland (two jigs - “The Kerry Dance” and “The Kesh Jig”). There are several variations of the jig: single (or soft), double (eng. double jig), triple (eng. treble jig) and sliding jig (eng. slip jig). The musical size of the jig is 6/8 (the emphasis in the rhythm is on: one-two-three four-five-six). The size of the sliding jig is 9/8 (one-two-three four-five-six seven-eight-nine). Single or single jig - dance in soft shoes (soft shoes, ghillies, irish dancing pumps). Triple or treble jig - dance in hard boots with heels (eng. hard shoe). A sliding or slip jig is danced in soft shoes. The dance includes a lot of jumps, pirouettes, and swings. The sliding jig is danced mainly by women, but since the late 80s of the last century, a movement for the return of men to this dance has been gaining strength.

Reel

It originated around the years in Scotland, and Irish dance masters gave it further development (two reels - “Kelsey’s Wee Reel” and “Miss MacLeod’s Reel”). Musical time signature is 4/4. Reel is a “running” dance in nature. Ryl is danced by both women and men. Women dance reel in soft shoes, men - in special soft shoes with heels. reel shoes).

Hornpipe

Appeared about a year, from English miniatures (two hornpipes - “Ricketts" Hornpipe” and “The Ladies Hornpipe”). At first it was danced exclusively by men in boots with hard soles, but now it is performed by both men and women. They say that for the first time on equal terms the women of the Irish county of Cork began to dance it with men. The musical time signature of the hornpipe is 4/4, reminiscent of a slow reel with an emphasis on the first and third beats (one-e-e two-e-e three-e-e four-e-e).

Irish dancing in Russia and the CIS

Moscow
Saint Petersburg
- School of Irish dance "Green Ribbon" (Peterhof)

Minsk
Kharkiv

Irish solo dancing (English: irish step dance) is a type of demonstration dance that originated in Ireland and developed from traditional Irish dances. Irish solo dance is developing in most countries with a large Irish diaspora... Wikipedia Irish ballet - IRISH BALLET (Irish Ballet Company), first prof. national troupe in Ireland. The creation of this team was the beginning of the development of prof. ballet lawsuit in Ireland. Troupe main in 1974 (receives a grant from the Council of Claims of the Irish Republic). First… …

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This term has other meanings, see tap dancing. Tap dancing is a type of dance, the characteristic feature of which is rhythmic percussive footwork. Another name for step (from the English step dance, from step “step”; in ... ... Wikipedia

Irish dancing is an art form that was created in Ireland. It is extremely popular in the UK.

Irish dances are common. Public as well as social.

Also, Irish dancing can be performed in concert. We are talking about those subspecies that are staged at performances in theaters. And also about those dances that are used in competitions.

Among everyday Irish dances, two directions can be distinguished. Seth- and Kaylee-.

Irish dancing can be either solo or group.

Irish dancing was first created in ancient times. They were invented by tribes that migrated to Ireland. As well as other peoples who tried to conquer this country through military invasion.

The tribes that migrated to Ireland made a huge contribution to the formation of national dances. They added elements of their musical culture to them. They were modified in every possible way. They also performed Irish dances to their national music.

Historians report that such dances were very popular among the Druids. They performed them in a circle. Holding hands.

The Druids performed Irish dances to perform religious ceremonies. Communicate with your gods. And get an answer from them.

With the help of Irish dances, the Druids prayed to the Sun God, as well as to Oak.

The Celts made a huge contribution to the formation of Irish dancing

A little later, the Celts invaded Ireland. They made a huge contribution to the formation of the national dance of this country. They modified it. And they also added elements of their musical culture to the dance.

Christianity was later adopted in Ireland. Monks began decorating books and manuscripts with symbols that were used by the Celts. However, the peasants tried not to deviate from Irish traditions. And during the performance of Celtic dances they used music popular in the country. They also repeated movements from standard Irish dances.

The influence of the Anglo-Normans on Irish dance culture

Ireland was later attacked by the Anglo-Normans. They conquered part of its territory and brought with them the culture of national dances.

In Ireland there was a music called Carol. She was extremely popular among the Normans. And they decided to bring Carol into the dance culture of Ireland. To develop it.

Carol was performed as follows. One person sang songs in this style. And around him stood people performing Irish dances. And they sang along with the soloist.

What Irish dances existed in the 16th century?

According to historians, in the 16th century there were only 3 dances in Ireland:

There was a jig in Ireland

Historians say they have found another dance that existed in the 16th century. They discovered a letter in which Sir Ireland Henry Sidey addressed Elizabeth the First. It was sent in 1569.

In the letter, Sir Sidey stated that in Ireland girls dance the "Irish jig". The dance, he said, was very beautiful and unusual. And the girls themselves dressed in bright, unique outfits.

In the 1650s, Irish dances were often performed before rulers

In the mid-16th century, national dances were extremely popular among the nobility of Ireland. Sovereigns regularly invited performers to huge castles. To dance beautiful Irish dances for them.

Subsequently, some peoples decided to borrow their national dances from the Irish. For example, they were taken and remade by the inhabitants of England. This is how the English versions of the dances "Trenchmore" and "Hey" appeared. They were subsequently performed before Elizabeth the First.

Irish dances were also performed in the 18th century.

According to historians, royalists on the shores of Ireland were also greeted with national dances. They were performed by girls.

In 1780, King George III sailed to Ireland. The state authorities sent six girls to his ship.

When the king arrived on shore, the Irish ladies greeted him with scarves in their hands. During this, a melody began to play. The ladies started dancing.

At the beginning of the dance, the girls moved slowly. But then they began to gradually increase the pace. They danced faster. The Irish dance was very energetic and beautiful. It was performed without going beyond a small area.

What kind of music were Irish dances performed to?

In ancient times, musicians were invited to perform Irish dances. They played tunes on bagpipes. Also, a harp was often used during performances.

The highest ranks of Ireland were not afraid to dance Celtic dances with their subjects. They happily danced along with ordinary people.

At what events were Irish dances performed?

Irish dancing was extremely popular among the population of the country. They were performed with or without reason. Both at important, tragic events, and on ordinary days.

Irish dancing was often performed early in the morning. The master stood up with his subjects and began to dance.

Also, Irish dances were performed during tragic events. For example, at the funeral of loved ones. Or relatives.

During these events, people danced Irish dances to the sad "singing" of the harp. Or bagpipes.

Irish people began to be taught national dances in the 18th century.

Irish people began to be taught national dances in the 18th century. It was then that professional teachers appeared in the country. They explained the principle of performing Irish dances to both adults and children. The teachers managed to teach this art to everyone. Regardless of the skills and abilities of people.

It is noteworthy that dance teachers never sat in one place. They regularly moved around villages and cities.

At first, residents of one village were taught to dance. Then they moved to another. And they already taught people to dance there.

The Irish dancing teachers looked unusual. They were dressed in bright clothes. And because of this, they were different from those around them. Stand out from the crowd.

Every Irish dancing teacher had an assistant. He helped the teacher explain to people how to dance. Thanks to this, the process of training one village took little time.

Irish dancing today

Nowadays, Irish dancing is also popular. Moreover, not only in the UK, but also in other countries.

Nowadays in Ireland, national dances are very well developed. There are special organizations in the country that teach young people this art direction. And they even encourage teenagers to learn Irish dancing. They are developing in this direction.

Celtic dances are most popular among adults and children in Ireland. They take part in competitions called fesh.

The winners of Irish dancing competitions receive good, expensive prizes. And high fees.

The incentives given to dancers allow Irish dancing to grow.

About modern Irish dancing competitions

In the modern world, there are several types of Irish dancing competitions.

Children can perform in solo numbers. Show off your Irish dancing skills on your own.

Also, athletes can take part in group tournaments. Within them, children are formed into groups. Toddlers must perform complex movements. And also interact with each other.

As part of group performances, children are divided into different age groups.

The smallest of them is the one in which children from 6 years old participate. The oldest one in terms of age is the one in which children 17 years old take part.

Participants for international Irish dancing tournaments are selected responsibly

National Irish dancing championships are regularly organized in Ireland. However, not everyone can participate in them.

To qualify for the national tournament, an athlete must win the qualifying round. Only after this can he be sent to international competitions.

A rigorous selection is carried out so that the most skilled residents of the provinces and cities compete for the title of the best Irish dancer. And so that the tournament turns out to be truly beautiful and unusual.

The World Irish Dance Championships are held every year. For Easter. The event itself takes place in Dublin.

It is noteworthy that not only residents of Great Britain participate in the World Irish Dancing Championships. Athletes from the United States, New Zealand, Australia and several other countries come to it. This suggests that Irish dancing is extremely popular in the 21st century.

Probably the most common question that any Irish dance teacher hears, regardless of the direction, style and size of the school: “Will you teach how to dance a jig?” The easiest way is to answer “yes” and leave it up to the person asking what kind of jig he had in mind, because it could be a dance from the Lord Of The Dance show, or a competitive discipline, or a traditional group dance for parties.

In general, there are now a great many schools, studios and Irish dance clubs in Russia. There are no less materials on the theory and history of these dances on the Internet. Articles about dance come in very, very different volumes, clarity and quality. Unfortunately, with all the wealth of choice, it is difficult to find a short overview text that will simply and clearly explain what is what in the modern world of Irish dancing. Some write that Irish dancing is “jiga, reel and hornpipe”, others write “solos, ceili and sets”. Both are true, but try to get the person who reads all this to tell the difference between a caylie and a hornpipe and you'll have a lot of fun watching his face. And what completely confuses the matter is the fact that often completely different types of dances have the same name.

This text does not pretend to be deep or detailed. It is written as an attempt to take an internal look at Irish dancing in all its varieties and aspects - as it now exists in Ireland and beyond - and to get a more or less complete picture.

So. Dancing, as you know, begins with music. Therefore, the first thing a novice dancer needs to know is what Irish melodies there are. The main ones are jig, reel, hornpipe and polka. Somewhere on the border of poles and jigs there are slides, and in addition, the jigs themselves have several varieties (single, double, slip jigs). Please note: this is a purely musical division. The same reel can be danced in soft or hard shoes, solo or in pairs, threes, fours, etc., in a tavern or on the big stage, in traditional or original choreography. But the reel will remain the reel. And if you ask the musicians to play a reel, you will get a melody in 4/4 time signature, but what you do to it is your personal choice. To a greater or lesser extent, the same is true for the other melodies.

In this way, the music brings together a variety of Irish dances. What differentiates them? It can be said very generally that the place of performance and the type of spectator inextricably linked with it, as well as the formal purpose of studying dance by the dancers themselves. To be a little more specific, we can highlight:

dancing “for the tavern” (to dance yourself and enjoy the process),
dancing "for competition" (to dance in front of other dancers and get judges' evaluation) and
dancing “for the stage” (to perform in front of spectators unfamiliar with the topic and delight them).

And if we use modern terminology, it turns out:

quadrille sets and shan-nos,
keili and solo dances of the modern style, including solo sets (why completely different dances are called the same word, see below)
original shows: the legendary Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, as well as their numerous clones and followers

All three groups include solo and group dances. It is customary to dance sets and shan-nos in conventionally “regular” shoes, but at competitions and on stage they use special soft shoes or hard shoes with heels.

It must immediately be said that in some ways all these varieties overlap. For example, formal competitions in “traditional” dances have recently become popular, but on the other hand, outside of Ireland, sports dances are regularly performed at concerts in clubs solely for their own pleasure. But such a rapprochement is the result of the development of dance culture in the last few decades, which does not, however, cancel the internal differences of directions.

To be continued...

Irish dance - a whole group of traditional dance forms that originated in Ireland - is divided into everyday (public, social) dances and concert dances (theatrical dances or staged dances, as they are commonly called in the UK). Public or everyday Irish dances - ceili and set dances. Staged dances are traditionally called solo dances.

History of Irish dance

The earliest evidence of Irish dancing dates back to a time of constant movement of various peoples through migration and invasion of Irish territory. Each of the peoples brought with them their preferred types of dance and music. There is very little evidence of the development of Irish dance in the earliest history, but there is evidence that the Druids practiced "circle" dances to perform religious rites dedicated to the Sun and the Oak, signs of which are clear today.

When the Celts filled the Irish lands, arriving from Central Europe, they of course had their own forms of folk dance. After the introduction of Christianity, monks illustrated consecrated manuscripts with pagan Celtic symbols, and peasants preferred to preserve the pagan spirit in music and dance. The Anglo-Norman conquests in the twelfth century correspondingly influenced the customs and culture of Ireland. Carol's music, popular among the Normans, took the following form: a soloist performed a song surrounded by dancers who echoed him in the same song. In the sixteenth century, written sources attest to three main Irish dances:

Irish "Hey" (dancers spin around partners)

Rinnce Fada (long dance)

Trenchmore (ancient peasant dance)

One of the letters from the English representative in Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney, to Elizabeth I in 1569 contains references to girls performing Irish jigs in Galway. He wrote that they were very beautiful, superbly dressed and danced first-class. In the mid-sixteenth century, dancers were invited to the large halls of newly built castles. Some dances were adapted by the English colonialists for performance in Elizabeth's royal halls, such as "Trenchmore" and "Hey". When the royalists sailed by ship to the shores of Ireland, they were met by girls performing Irish folk dance, and King George III was met by three couples in Kinsale (County Cork) in 1780. They stood in a row and held a white scarf. As soon as the music started, they moved out and formed separate pairs. At first, the couples danced with a scarf at a slow pace, then the pace increased and the dance became more energetic.

Irish dancing was accompanied by music played on bagpipes and harp. In the households of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy, masters often teamed up with servants to perform certain dances. They danced even in the morning after waking up or during funeral processions, following in a circle to the sad sounds of bagpipes. In the eighteenth century, dance teachers appeared in Ireland. Mainly, these were traveling people, they moved from village to village and taught the local residents basic dance steps. The teachers were colorful characters, dressed in colorful clothes, and often had assistants. Many students could not, due to illiteracy, determine where their left or right foot was. To do this, the dance teacher tied straw to one leg and hay to the other leg and taught: “raise the leg with the hay” or “raise the leg with the straw.” Mostly, each teacher had his own area, and he did not encroach on other people’s “dance” domains. The level of performance of the most gifted students was very high, and solo dancers were held in high esteem. Often the doors were taken off their hinges, laid on the ground, and a dancer performed a dance on them. At fairs, open dance competitions were held, in which the competition continued until one of the dancers fell from fatigue. Several versions of these dances are still performed in different areas of Ireland. The rich heritage in the form of dance forms is carefully preserved and today Irish jig, reel, hornpipe, sets, polkas, and step dances are known throughout the world. Solo dancing and step dancing appeared at the end of the eighteenth century.

Irish dance costumes

The costumes of dancers today are just a reminder of ancient dance costumes. Men in the past usually wore a high-buttoned waistcoat, tie, breeches, stockings and shoes. Ladies wore colored homespun ankle-length skirts and black bodices.
Each school today is distinguished by its original costumes. Most of the dresses are decorated with embroidery in the Celtic style, copies of the famous Tara brooch, which pins the cape thrown over the shoulder onto the back.
Men's clothing is less decorated, but it has a rich history. Often this is a plain-colored kilt, a jacket with a complexly draped cloak on the shoulder. Shoes – for both men and women – heavy, hard boots with heels for hornpipe, jig, for reel – soft “ballet” shoes.

Irish dancing today

Nowadays, Irish Dance is a cultural symbol of the country and it is clear that there are many dance organizations in Ireland that encourage the practice of dance. Adults and children participate in separate competitions called “feis” (feis, which was once the name for rural dance parties) for valuable prizes. There are solo performances and group competition performances, in which dancers are identified by age groups, from six years to seventeen years, and senior groups. Qualifying competitions are held in all four provinces of Ireland, with the winners then competing in the All-Ireland Championships. The World Irish Dancing Championships are held in Dublin at Easter, and representatives from England, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand compete for the title of world champion.

Kaylee

The history of the Irish "ceighley" begins with neighbors gathering for a pleasant time, with music, dancing and friendly conversations. Dance evenings were usually held on summer Sunday evenings, when young people gathered at crossroads. The music was performed by a violinist sitting on a three-legged stool with his hat upside down to collect donations. The violinist usually started with music for the reel, but had to repeat the melody several times before the young people began to dance. But after a while the area filled up, and then the dancer could not stop.

There are still many opportunities to enjoy Irish dancing in Ireland today. Informal dance evenings, ceilidh sessions, when beginners are shown their first steps, take place in large cities in the summer season, in which both the older generation and young people take part with equal pleasure. Thanks to the professional dance show Riverdance, the amazing Michael Ryan Flatley and his stunning shows “Lord of the Dance” and “Dance Feet of Flames”, today Irish dance is not only known all over the world. Students continue to come to dance schools to achieve the same recognition in the future as Jean Butler, Colin Dunne or Michael Flatley.