I often see lovely steps on YouTube I’d love to learn – like this one from Mick Mulkerrin:
But for someone like me, this is just a bit too fast to start learning from.
Technology not only allows generous dancers to film and post great steps, but also helps to S-L-O-W it all down – both the images and the sound- like this:
It does sound a bit strange with the slowed down audio- a bit like a horror movie- but don’t mess with this as you’ll need the sound of the feet to help guide you with the rhythm of the steps.
TIP: The key to learning new steps is to break it down into simple parts but ALWAYS do it with the rhythm of the music – even if you just hum the music to yourself rather than having the music playing.
MOST Irish traditional music is very lively, and it really makes you want to tap, hop, skip and generally jump for joy. I share that feeling but those steps are not always in keeping with the traditional flat style of set dancing, particularly in Clare, Kerry, Galway and surrounding areas.
It’s another contrary fact about Irish set dancing that what makes you want to go up, actually asks you to come down.
The style of Irish set dancing is subtle and I have had great difficulty over the years putting my finger on what it is, what it’s not and how best to explain it simply. I have found it most tricky explaining the style to dancers who already dance many other styles because it can seem counter-intuitive to them.
Some basics for set dancing style & steps:
1. Keep your feet close to the floor – some say “dancing from the ankles down”
2. Take small steps
3. Listen to the rhythm of the music to keep time
Often adults talk animatedlyto me about their desire to dance, finishing with a crest-fallen look and “Oh, but I didn’t learn to dance as a child”. Occasionally, I’m not sure if this is an excuse for not dancing or a genuine regret that the potential joy of dance has passed them by. I suspect it’s the latter.
I was lucky enough to grow up in a community where dancing, singing and music-making was a normal, everyday activity. I danced at school, I sang and played my guitar on the school bus with a group of others, I danced at parties and I danced with my friends for fun in the lounge room. We were not doing any particular dance or steps, just moving to the music and enjoying it.
Fast-forward forty years, and what I see that dancing has become objectified: commodified in a way that makes it seem less accessible to people as an ordinary activity, and all about athleticism, show and performance.
The rise of TV dance shows may bring dancing into people’s homes but really not in way that makes people feel they can participate. There are dancers and there are audiences: never the twain shall meet.
Some of the nicest, most pleasurable dance experiences I’ve had in Irish set dancing have been with partners who are… how can I say it? Comfortable. It’s like moving on in the set and arriving at your favourite armchair – aaah, a space that is obliging, giving and freeing, all at the same time with the added pleasure of moving exactly in rhythmic time with another.
Sadly, that’s not always the case. Many will have had the experience of being tackled by a smiling partner who seems to have wandered in off the sporting pitch, is full of energy and enthusiasm that’s just bone crackin’. Or collecting the demure-looking woman who’s leans on you and is like 20lbs spuds to get around the floor.
So, despite being convinced that all dancers are doing their best to dance, enjoy and have a good time, I think sometimes there’s a small lack of technique, knowledge or thought about what kind of experience it might be for the other person. It doesn’t mean completely changing your dance style but simply being mindful of others and making small accommodations to suit.
1. Dancing under your own steam – as much as your partner may be comfortable, their job is not to carry you. Your two legs will do that and all your weight needs to be on them, not your partner. To see if you’re already doing that, challenge yourself.Have a look at the dance practice exercise on the film (below) and see if you can dance at home, and then do a full house with your partner with only your palms touching palms as you dance.
2. Flat resting hands, light touch– Pulling, yanking, poking, gripping hands are most unattractive and are usually evident in the excitement of brilliant music and fast moves – we’ve all done it. Taking care also applies to moves like turning the lady under where all you need to do is use the tips of your fingers to touch, not using your whole hand. People carry all sorts of injuries and pains – arthritis, bruising, sprains – and it pays to take care with all hand holds. Continue reading →
Great music is the lifeblood of dancing and fortunately, Ireland has it in abundance. One of Ireland’s most beloved musicians and singers, Séamus Begley (RIP 2023) reveals more (hear audio link below) about the unbreakable bond between Irish music & dance when being interviewed by Joan Armatrading for the BBC.
As he says, his experience of playing music on his accordion was only for dancing and when there was no dancing, he was told to “put it away”.
So, how do you tell a jig from a reel? Or a polka from a slide?
As with most things Irish, it’s complicated. The intricacies of music mathematics can be a difficult thing to get your head around: even the best musicians seem to struggle to explain how it works mostly because there are style differences in the playing, in some cases. In addition, some of the names sound like musical timings – eg, “treble jig” and “light jig”, but are actually names of a dance rather than a specific musical timing. So, thinking about all this too much will not help your understanding.
Happily, one of the best ways of learning this difference is by moving or by singing/ humming to each different signature timing, and this also goes for musicians who are learning to play Irish music. And why not try to remember each different type – hornpipes, reels, jigs, waltzes, polkas, slides– by what we did when we were kids?
By having fun – playing, clapping and singing to nursery rhymes, and using pictures and word games to remember the basics.
Summer time in Ireland, particularly July is really the best time to get your concentrated dose of learning in music, dance, singing, culture and craic with a mix of well-established festivals and new ones springing up all over the place.
I remember my first trip to the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay, travelling down from Dublin to Co.Clare in 1999, zipping down the roads in my new bright red, sporty Honda. Besides the gorgeous trip down the very narrow hedge-bound winding country lanes and roads to get there, glimpsing the Atlantic over the brow of the hill, the shock of dancing every day and every night for a week in a sea of 300 or more slightly damp, very enthusiastic, experienced dancers was absolutely exhilarating, as you can see:
It’s hard to convey the excitement these festivals generate : providing comfortable predictability, laced with the unexpected. And on each of my successive return trips almost every year since then, as I said to Bill Lynch at the Set Dancing News, they never disappoint – always absolutely brilliant, no matter what the weather.
IRELAND SUMMER SCHOOLS (in date order)
Seosamh MacGabhann (Joseph McGavin) Summer School, Kilmovee, Co. Mayo27th June – 3rd July 2015 This is a relatively new festival started in 2011, with music classes each morning & sean nós dance classes and singing classes amongst others, in the afternoon. http://smgsummerschool.com/
Willie Clancy Summer School, Miltown Malbay, Co.Clare4th July – 12th July 2015 Also affectionately known as Willie Week, this is probably the longest running of these festivals. There’s always a great buzz in Miltown: we call it Set Dancing Mecca! Classes for music and dance are run each morning from 10-1pm from Monday – Saturday, interspersed with a wide range of afternoon and evening set dancing céilísaround the area, singing sessions & music sessions in pubs. Highly recommended for those who want full immersion, deep dive into Irish culture & craic.
South Sligo Summer School, Tubbercurry,Co.Sligo12th July – 18th July 2015 This has become my favorite festival for it’s laid back nature but also the learning to dance program is excellent. Different energy to Willie Clancy, it’s more intimate, gentler and very enjoyable in this beautiful part of Co.Sligo, with very deep music & dance tradition. Set dancing and music classes are in the morning 10am-1pm, a fantastic sean nós dance program in the afternoon with Edwina Guckian (deep dive immersion here also!) from 4-6pm and a range of concerts in the afternoons, and set dancing céilís in the evenings, with sessions in the pubs to follow. http://www.sssschool.org/index.htm
Joe Mooney Summer School, Drumshanbo, Co.Leitrim19th July- 25th July 2015 If you have any energy left after the first two festivals, Drumshanbo is delightful. A similar format to South Sligo Summer School, the difference here is the focus is very much around the unusual main street, which has a pedestrian mezzanine above the lane of traffic, where you can sit out in the sun, dance, listen to music & enjoy the people going by and enjoy a number of excellent evening ceilis.http://www.joemooneysummerschool.com/
Camp Rince 2014, Dublin, Co.DublinJuly 27th-31st 2015 A workshop in Irish step dance with expert tuition from Ronan McCormack in solo technique, stage performance , céilí, show style and injury prevention.
The Irish Dance Festival – NEW COMBINED FESTIVALCarlingford, Co.Louth2nd-9th August 2015 2014 saw the emergence of a festival that blends Irish step dancing, Irish set dancing & Irish sean nós dancing in the absolutely stunning 800 year old town of Carlingford, on the Carlingford Lough. http://www.irishdancefestival.com/
FURTHER STUDY IN IRISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC & DANCE Blas, University of Limerick, LimerickJune 22nd- 3rd July 2015 If you want a more structured intensive program which provides academic credit for further studies –range of Masters degrees, there is this program at University of Limerick. http://www.blas.ie/
USA SUMMER CAMPS I have this information from The Irish Dancing Magazine about a range of Irish step dancing camps across the USA. I’d be very happy for reviews or more information about any of these and other favorites you may have.
CAMP RINCE CEOL (NYC), USA for Adult Dancers-NEW!!5th-10th July 2015 Camp Rince CEOL now welcomes Adult Irish dancers from around the world for a week of hard work for individual dance improvement, enhancement of physical abilities and to increase social opportunities, through céilí, music and other optional Irish cultural activities and events. The Camp has put together a full week of all that the kids’ camp has and more….our voices have been heard…Dance Camp isn’t just for kids, anymore I Let’s create a global adult Irish Dance movement….at Camp Rince Ceol 2015!! http://www.irishdancecamp.com/
CAMP RINCE CEOL, Santa Inez, California, USA 21st-26th June 2015
CAMP RINCE CEOL, Schenectady, New York, USA11th-31st July 2015
CAMP RINCE NUA, Lenox, Massachusetts, USA16th-21st August 2015
GERMANY SUMMER CAMPS CAMP RINCE BERLIN, Berlin, Germany17th-23rd July 2015
CAN’T MAKE THE NORTHERN SUMMER? If you decide to go in either Spring or Fall, you are most likely going to find that regular weekly classes in an area or weekend workshop/ festivals is what is most available. Bill Lynch, Set Dancing News has an exhaustive listing of Irish set dancing, Irish sean nós dancing classes, workshops and festivals all over the world. http://sets.ie/
Happy, sunny dancing, folks!! Nora Stewart Irish Bliss
I remember learning the High Cauled Cap in Ireland, a year or two after I had moved there from Australia- I think it was a lovely weekend in Mullaghboy, Co.Louth.
For those of you who don’t know, this is quite a complex Irish figure dance that crosses over between being a ceili dance and a set dance: an unusual creation with a foot in both camps!
We got to the part where we do “sevens” – dancing sideways and back again to place – and I thought, “Goody -I know how to do this bit” ( SEE FILM at the bottom of this post). Every dancer who learns Irish step dancing will pretty much start with this step. And then a funny thing happened. Everyone else was doing sevens but they didn’t look the same, although it was very like the sevens I was dancing, with pointed toes and little leaps at either end but not the same. Then, the confusion of the next few moves overtook me and I forgot that thought. Continue reading →
“I’m jealous. I’d like to be able to dance up on my toes like this”.
About six months ago, my new young FaceBook friend from Vietnam emailed me, including a photo of Irish dance shoes on point or toe dancing.
My instinctive response was quite horrified (also shows I am out of touch with what Irish step dancers are up to), and I told him that it wasn’t safe to do this without training and knowledge of how to do this properly. After my initial response, I then reflected on why I was horrified. I did ballet for 5 years as a youngster and dancing en pointe (on point or tips of toes) was something you had to be selected to do and undertake considerable training for.
So, you’ve got the hang of the steps that you’ve spent ages learning, and finally the rhythm is starting to come after lots of practice, and perhaps also the moves in the set if you’re doing set or céilí dancing. But there’s this other elusive bit that you see “the really good dancers” doing and you can’t just work out why you’re not quite as cool as they are! They’re doing something different and you can’t quite put your finger/ toes/ feet on it….
Well, each style of Irish dance has it’s own unique body stance or sometimes you get a choice! Most styles of Irish dance require bending the knees and hips while dancing to allow looseness in the lower half of the body, giving a bit of bounce and spring – think of car suspension acting like shock absorbers. Lower centre of gravity also gives you a lot more control, particularly reducing uncontrolled sliding on the dance floor.
For those of you who have learned snow skiing, the same principles apply – bend ze knees and get control over your movements. (And no, leaning a long way forward with your butt sticking out on it’s own doesn’t count as bending the knees…!)
I’m going to try to explain for each of the 6 styles of Irish dance using static photos of Martin (below) but it will become clearer when you see people dancing and moving, and you know what you are looking at. Continue reading →
All varieties of Irish dance are distinguished by one main thing: style. There are other differences, of course, such as rules and structure that guide the dances themselves. However, style – the way in which the dancer moves- is key.
I have written about6 different styles of Irish dance and referred to body stance – hand holds low vs high, low to floor flat feet style vs high up on the balls of the feet with pointed toes, and pretty much everything in between. I will write more on body stance in next week’s blog post Irish Dance: Tips for Body Style
