Dance Music

Irish traditional dance music was largely meant for dancing at celebrations for weddings, saint s days or other observances. Area style is  important to Irish traditional musicians. At the start of the last century, distinct variation in regional styles of performance existed. With increased communications and travel opportunities, regional styles have become more standardised. Soloists also create their own, unique, distinctive styles, often hybrids of  other influences the musician likes. Much of the local character of a Irish music style comes from the type of decoration that is added to a tune. Melody is very important in in Irish music. Harmony is kept simple and instruments are played in strict unison, always following the leading player. True counterpoint rare in Irish  traditional music, although a form of improvised counter melody is sometimes used.

Dance Dress

The dress used for Irish dancing in competitions is usually that men wear a white shirt, vest and black trousers. Women wear decorated dresses (usually embroidered with celtic designs). In the past the appropriate dress for a competition or social dancing  was simply Sunday best (clothes one would wear to church). Irish Dance schools generally have school dresses, worn by lower-level competitors and in public performances. As dancers advance in competition or are given starring roles in public performances, they may get a solo dress of their own design and colours. In the 1970s and 1980s, ornately embroidered dresses became popular.

Dance Shoes

There are two types of shoes; soft shoes (also known as ghillies) and hard shoes. The first hard shoes had wooden or leather taps with metal nails. Hard shoes are similar to tap shoes, except that the tips and heels are now made of fibre glass, instead of metal. They are  also bulkier than tap shoes. The soft shoes, which are called ghillies, are black lace-up shoes. Ghillies are only worn by girls, while boys wear black leather shoes called reel shoes, which resemble black jazz shoes with a hard heel. Boys soft-shoe dancing features audible heel clicks.

Dancing Set Dancing

Set dancing is sometimes called country sets. They are a popular form of folk dancing in Ireland. Set dances are based on quadrilles. The latter were court dances which were transformed by the Irish into a unique folk dance of the Irish rural communities. Distinctive set dances and dance regions emerged in the beginning of the 19th century and evolved as popular house dances separate from the more formal Irish step-dancing tradition. Set dancing was promoted during the 1930s and 1940s . The rise of rock and roll in the 1950s caused a fall in the popularity of set dancing. In the 1980s set dancing enjoyed a revival and many forgotten sets were revived. Set dances from a particular region usually have similar elements. For instance, sets from the Connemara region (such as the Connemara Reel Set, the South Galway Reel Set and the Claddagh Set). Four couples are arranged in the form of a square to dance with each couple being in the middle of the sides of the square. Both the eight dancers in the group and the dance itself are called a   set. The dance is a sequence of several dance figures, which usually have a common theme or structure. The figures usually begin and end with repeated parts that everyone dances, and then during the figure each couple or pair of couples will dance separately.

Dance Sean Nos

Sean Nos in Irish Gaelic means   old style  , and is applied to the dance form as well as Sean-Nos song. It is an older form of traditional solo Irish dance. It is a casual dance form, as opposed to the more formal competition-oriented form, of Irish step dance. The roots of this form of dancing pre-date modern records. Differences in Sean-Nos dance between different regions of Ireland exist. Often it is attributed to the Connemara region, due to its stronger following here. There is no singular definitive standard of Sean -Nos. In the past every region had its own style which was influenced over time. Notable events in Irish history can be seen through the dance, like the steps of Ulster influenced by Scottish dancing and the low steps of the west coast influenced by the Spanish flamenco. Sean-Nos dance is characterised by its   low to the ground   footwork, improvised steps, free movement of the arms, and an emphasis upon a   battering step   (which sounds out more loudly the accented beat of the music). Traditional Sean-Nos dance surfaces include a standard wooden dance floor, a door that has been taken off the hinges, a table, a barrel, or even the top of a stool. In those cases, the skill of the dancer is shown by how well s/he can produce the various steps within the narrow bounds of the dance surface. By its nature, it follows the music closely. It is traditionally a solo dance form. Because Sean-Nos dancing is improvisational, it is not necessary for a pre-arranged routine or choreography to be decided upon by the dancer. Spontaneous expression is highly valued. Therefore, it is less common to see groups performing synchronised Sean-Nos dance (which requires choreography in advance). Instead, the dancers may dance in turns, playing off the energy of the other.

Dance Reel

The reel is a folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type. In Irish dance, a reel is any dance danced to music in reel time. Reel music is  simple in meter, either as 2/2 or 4/4. The reel is danced in soft shoes. All reels have the same structure, consisting largely of quaver (eighth note) movement with an accent on the first and third beats of the bar. A reel is distinguished from a hornpipe by consisting primarily of even beats. Today many Irish reels are supplemented with new compositions and by tunes from other traditions which are easily adapted as reels. It is the most popular tune-type within the Irish dance music tradition.

Dance Hornpipe

The hornpipe is an Irish, Scottish and English dance. It is danced in hard shoes, which are used to help keep track of how the dancer keeps in time. There are two variations of the hornpipe dance: fast and slow. Usually, more experienced dancers will do the slow hornpipe but younger dancers will start out with the fast hornpipe and then switch in later years. There is a change of tempo in the music but not the dancing between these two speeds. The only difference in the dancing between the fast and slow steps are the dances that the dancer does and the rhythm/sound of how they move their legs. The rhythm for both fast and slow hornpipes is very even and should be executed that way by the dancer.