Irish fast folk dance. Traditional Irish dance

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Irish dancing is an art form that originated in Ireland. It is very popular in the UK.

Irish dances are domestic. public as well as social.

Also, Irish dances are concert. We are talking about those of their subspecies, which put on performances in theaters. And also about those dances that are used in competitions.

From household Irish dances, two directions can be distinguished. Set- and kaylee-.

Irish dances can be both solo and group.

History of Irish dancing

Irish dances were 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 with the help of a 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 with the Druids. They performed them in a circle. Holding hands.

Druids performed Irish dances in order to conduct religious rites. Communicate with your gods. And get an answer from them.

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

The Celts made a huge contribution to the formation of Irish dances.

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.

Later, Christianity was adopted in Ireland. The monks began to decorate 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, popular music was used in the country. They also repeated movements from standard Irish dances.

Influence of the Anglo-Normans on the culture of Irish dances

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 very popular among the Normans. And they decided to bring Carol into the dance culture of Ireland. To develop it.

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

What Irish dances existed in the 16th century?

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

Ireland had a jig

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

In a 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 50s of the 16th century, Irish dances were often performed in front of the rulers.

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

Subsequently, some nations 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 "Trenchmore" and "Hey" dances appeared. Subsequently, they were performed before Elizabeth the First.

Irish dances were 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 arrived in Ireland. The authorities of the state sent six girls to his ship.

When the king arrived on the shore, the Irish ladies met him with handkerchiefs 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 pick up the pace. They danced faster. The Irish dance turned out to be very energetic and beautiful. It was performed without going beyond a small zone.

What kind of music was Irish dance performed to?

In ancient times, musicians were invited to perform Irish dances. They played melodies on the 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 enjoyed dancing with the common people.

At what events did Irish dancing take place?

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

Often Irish dances were performed in the early morning. The master got 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.

Residents of Ireland began to learn national dances in the 18th century

Inhabitants of Ireland 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. 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 to villages and cities.

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

The Irish dance teachers looked unusual. They were dressed in bright clothes. And due to this, they differed from others. Stand out from the crowd.

Every Irish dance 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.

In our time in Ireland, national dances are very well developed. There are special organizations in the country that teach young people this direction of art. And they even encourage teenagers for learning Irish dances. Develop in this direction.

The most popular Celtic dances are among the adult and children's population of Ireland. They take part in competitions, which are referred to as fashion.

Winners of Irish dance competitions receive good, expensive prizes. And high fees.

The rewards given to dancers allow Irish dancing to develop.

About modern Irish dance competitions

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

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

Also, athletes can take part in group tournaments. Within them, groups are formed from children. 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 in age is the one in which children of 17 years old take part.

Participants for international Irish dance tournaments are selected responsibly

Ireland regularly organizes national Irish dance championships. However, not everyone can participate in them.

To get to the national tournament, the athlete needs to win the qualifying round. Only after that it can be sent to international competitions.

A rigorous selection is carried out so that the most skillful inhabitants of the provinces and cities fight for the title of the best Irish dancer. And to make the tournament really beautiful, unusual.

The Irish Dance World 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 Irish Dance World Championships. Athletes from the United States, New Zealand, Australia and a number of other countries come to it. This suggests that Irish dancing is hugely popular in the 21st century.

Ireland is famous for its incomparably rich dance culture. The world interest in Irish dances of the last 10-20 years is due to the appearance of spectacular Irish shows.

In Russia "Riverdance" and "Lord of the Dance" are widely known. How to explain the appeal of Irish dance?

History of Irish Dance

Perhaps the history of traditional Irish dance should be calculated from the time of the emergence of the Celtic peoples - the Gauls), who founded their own state already in the 5th century BC. These peoples were distributed throughout Western Europe, and by the third century of our era, the Gauls had reached Ireland.

The oldest known type associated with Irish dance is the Sean-Nos of the Celts who lived in the British Isles from 2000 BC. In the twelfth century, under the influence of the culture of the Norman conquerors in Ireland, a round dance began to dance around a person singing a song. In the 16th century dance dances began to be performed in palaces.

And two centuries later in Ireland appeared itinerant dance teachers- the founders of two popular types today: group and solo. In the fifth century, Saint Patrick declared the lands of Ireland Christian. Due to the oppression of the culture of Ireland, which began in the 18th century, national dances for a long time were performed only under the cloak of strict secrecy. Folk dances were sharply condemned by the Christian church as "crazy" and "bringing misfortune". Some historians even believe that the characteristic motionless position of the hands on the belt appeared in Irish dance just after Church declares hand movements in Irish dances obscene.

As England conquered the adjacent lands, the neighboring peoples were subjected to cruel pressure: it is known that in order to destroy a nation, it is first necessary destroy her crops y. During the English colonization, the persecution of all manifestations of Irish culture intensified. The punitive laws that were introduced by the British in the mid-17th century forbade the teaching of anything to the Irish, including music and dance.

Therefore, for more than a century and a half Irish dancing was taught in secret. Dance culture existed in the form of clandestine classes held in the villages by itinerant dance teachers and in the form of large country parties where people danced in groups, often led by the same masters. The emergence of dance masters - wandering teachers, at the beginning of the 18th century marked the beginning of the modern dance school. To give shelter to a dance teacher was considered a great honor. The dance master was usually hired for a month.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Irish villages and small towns also became popular competitions. A large cake was placed in the center of the dance floor and served as a prize for the best dancer. The solo dance style was called Sean-nos. Solo dances were performed by masters. In mass group dances, French quadrilles and cotillions were reinterpreted in an Irish way.

Modern period in Irish dances begins at the end of the 19th century with the creation of the Gaelic League. She set a goal for herself: the preservation and development of the Irish language and culture, music and dance. Their painstaking work often came down not only to the preservation and enrichment of existing traditions, but also to their artificial unification within the framework of a new, often controversial, but common set of rules for all. However, such a sporting approach was very convenient for increasing entertainment and for holding competitions.

In 1929 was founded Irish Dance Commission to establish uniform rules for the performance of dances, competitions and refereeing. As a result, the dance technique has changed significantly. Dance schools were able to use large halls and a wide stage. The dancers were no longer limited in space and movement, and this enriched Irish dancing with many new steps and jumps, including passages all over the stage. The rule was finally fixed to keep hands strictly along the body. But some other provisions still exist. Starting from the 20s-30s. thanks to the Gaelic League, women became much more likely to compete and teach in dance schools. A well-defined sequence of steps performed became the basis for group dances and the caylee dances that descended from them during the creation of the Gaelic league of caylee dances, which developed from elements of step dances and French square dances.

Varieties of Irish dances

Three main types of Irish dance: solo, ceili and set. Solo dance mainly acts as a spectacle prepared by masters, or as a competitive form. It requires professionalism and many years of experience. Caylee, a credit to the Gaelic League, is a group of dances of Irish folklore layers - long dances in a line and dances in a circle, and dances created artificially. Kaylee is characterized by jumping and tightly pressed hands to the body - "hands at the seams".

Set dances appeared a little later after the Irish soldiers, who returned from Napoleon's wars, brought with them a square dance - four pairs opposite each other, forming a square. A quadrille with an increased tempo and actually Irish movements became known as a set. Sets consist of figures - movements performed in a certain sequence. The number of figures can be different - from two to six, and each with its own size - jig (6/8), reel (4/4) or hornpipe (4/4). There are no jumps in the set, which are typical for step dances, but because of the many varieties of steps, the dance looks very diverse.

Initially, Irish dances were performed only by men.. When appeared step, women were not trusted with him either. Now everything is mixed up. But, nevertheless, the competitions of young dancers aged twenty years and older are recognized as the most spectacular at the championships - it is for their performances that full houses are recruited. Despite the dancers' adherence to the traditions of Irish dance art, in recent years the ballet finger technique has gained popularity: they walk in hard shoes, standing on their toes, which is contraindicated for children under twelve years old.

Irish dancing tonight continue to conquer the world. Dance schools, which include national Irish dances, attract many students not only in Ireland itself, but also in many other countries. Four major competitions are regularly held in the world - the American National Championship, the All-Ireland Championship, the British Championship and the World Championship. By tradition, the World Championship is held in Ireland, and thousands of dancers come to it, for whom a worthy result at the championship can be the beginning of a stellar career. For example, in 1998 the World Cup, held in Ennis (Ennis), brought together three thousand participants and another seven thousand coaches, teachers and fans. It is interesting that a dancer of any level can take part in the championship, whether it is a beginner amateur or a high-class professional.

Studio Divadance, St. Petersburg.

Designers: Zhuzha
© 2005 by Zhuzha

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

History of Irish Dance

The earliest evidence of Irish dancing dates back to the time of the constant movement of various peoples through migration and invasion of the territory of Ireland. 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 most ancient history, but there is evidence that the Druids practiced "circular" dances to perform religious rites dedicated to the Sun and Oak, signs of which are clear today.

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

Irish "Hey" (dancers circle partners)

Rinnce Fada (long dance)

Trenchmore (old peasant dance)

In one of the letters of the English representative in Ireland Sir Henry Sidney to Elizabeth I in 1569, there are references to girls performing an Irish jig in Galway. He wrote that they were very beautiful, splendidly dressed and danced first class. In the middle of the sixteenth century, dancers were invited to the great halls of newly built castles. Some dances were adapted by the English colonizers to be performed in the royal halls of Elizabeth, such as "Trenchmore" and "Hey". When the royalists sailed on a ship to the shores of Ireland, they were met by girls who performed an Irish folk dance, and three couples met King George III in 1780 in Kinsale (Cork County). They stood in a row and held a white handkerchief. 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 and more energetic.

Irish dances were accompanied by music performed on the bagpipes and harp. In the households of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy, the masters often joined 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. Mostly, they were traveling people, they moved from village to village and taught the locals the basic dance steps. The teachers were colorful characters, dressed in flowery clothes, and often had assistants. Many students could not, due to illiteracy, determine where the left or right foot was. To do this, the dance teacher tied straw to one leg, hay to the other leg and taught like this: “raise your leg with hay” or “raise your leg with straw.” Mostly, each teacher had his own area, and he did not encroach on other people's "dance" possessions. 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 the dancer performed a dance on them. At the fairs, open dance competitions were held, in which the competition continued until one of the dancers collapsed from fatigue. Several variations of those dances are still performed in different parts of Ireland. The rich heritage in the form of dance forms is carefully preserved and today Irish jig, reel, hornpipe, sets, polkas, step dances are known all over the world. Solo dances and step dances appeared at the end of the eighteenth century.

Irish dance costumes

The costumes of the dancers today are only a reminder of the old dance costumes. Men in the past usually wore a highly 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 embroidered in the Celtic style, replicas of the famous Tara brooch, which pins a cape thrown over the shoulder onto the back.
Men's clothing is less decorated, but it has a rich history. Often it is a plain-colored kilt, a jacket with an intricately draped cloak on the shoulder. Shoes - for both men and women - heavy hard boots with heels for hornpipe, jigs, for reel - soft "ballet" shoes.

Irish dancing today

Today Irish Dance is a cultural symbol of the country and it is understandable that there are many dance organizations in Ireland that encourage dancing. Adults and children participate in separate competitions called "fesh" (feis, once the village dance parties were called) for valuable prizes. There are solo performances and group performances-competitions, in which dancers are determined by age groups, from six years to seventeen years old, and groups of the senior category. In all four provinces of Ireland, qualifying competitions are held, the winners then participate in the all-Irish championship. The Irish Dance World Championship takes place in Dublin on Easter, and representatives from England, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand compete for the title of world champion.

Kaylie

The history of the Irish "caylee" begins with gatherings of neighbors for a pleasant time, with music, dancing and friendly conversations. Dance evenings were usually held on summer Sunday evenings when young people gathered at the crossroads. The music was performed by a violinist sitting on a three-legged chair with his hat turned upside down to collect donations. The violinist usually started with music for 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.

In Ireland today there are many opportunities to enjoy Irish dancing. Informal dance evenings, "kaylee" sessions, when newcomers are shown their first steps, take place in large cities during the summer season, in which both the older generation and the youth take part with equal satisfaction. Thanks to the professional dance show Riverdance, the amazing Michael Ryan Flatley and his stunning Lord of the Dance and Dance Feet of Flames shows, today Irish dance is not just known all over the world. Students continue to come to dance schools in order to achieve the same recognition in the future as Gene Butler, Colin Dunn or Michael Flatley.

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

Irish dances

During the English colonization, the persecution of all manifestations of Irish culture intensified. Punitive laws that were introduced by the British in the middle of the XVII century. forbade the teaching of the Irish to anything, including music and dance. Therefore, for more than 150 years, Irish dancing has been taught in secret. Dance culture existed in the form of clandestine classes held in the villages by itinerant dance teachers (so-called dance masters) and in the form of large country parties where people danced in groups, often led by the same masters. Information has been preserved that at rural parties for a long time there was a custom to put "on patrol" at a distance from the rest of the dancers a smart dancer boy. Seeing the enemy, the boy had to make as many conditional movements as he saw soldiers on the road, and then the adults themselves assessed how dangerous it was for their occupations. Also, dance masters held 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 laid the foundation for the modern dance school. Usually dapper craftsmen, dressed in the latest fashion, went from village to village, stopping at one of the houses. Moreover, it was considered a great honor to give shelter to a dance teacher. The dance master was usually hired for a month. At the end of the third week, he was paid for dancing lessons, 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 his repertoire. It was thanks to the masters of dance that the forms of jig and ril known to us appeared. All movements were combined in the dance into elements, each was designed for 8 measures of music and was called "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 dancing" was originally associated with "steps" - elements of eight measures, and not with "tap dancing" - kicks in hard shoes, which we usually understand as the word "step". Although, of course, such strokes 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 British authorities, but also by Catholic priests who were under the ban, but enjoyed great authority. They considered the movements of the arms and legs during the dance to be "lewd". Therefore, in the original, old school of Irish dance, the dancers kept their hands still all the time. However, some researchers say that the masters themselves introduced the requirement to fix the hands, primarily not because of the prohibitions of the church, but on purpose 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 establish the first dance schools, of which the best known were those in the South in counties Kerry, Cork and Limerick. There were famous schools in other cities. Each master could invent his own movements (jumps, jumps, turns). Different schools differed in the set of movements used in dances.

Often the dance masters of the old school held competitions among themselves, and the winner was 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 movements cleaner. 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. So the first dance competitions between masters served not only to identify the best, but also to divide the spheres of influence between schools.

At the beginning of the XIX century. in Irish villages and small towns, pie competitions also became popular. 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 dances remained the lot of the masters. The preparation of the best students took place during mass group dances, French quadrilles and cotillions rethought in an Irish way, which made it possible to involve many people in dancing, make new couples, and identify the best. Over time, each of the students, who firmly remembered the sequence of movements in the dance, could become an instructor himself. The rigidly defined sequence of steps performed served as the basis for group dances and the caylee dances that descended from them during the creation of the Gaelic league of caylee dances, which developed from elements of step dancing and French square dances.

Types of dances

Jig (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 shoe, ghillies, irish dancing pumps). Triple or treble jig - dance in hard boots with heels (eng. hard shoes). A sliding or slip jig is danced in soft shoes. The dance includes many jumps, pirouettes, swings. The sliding jig is danced mainly by women, but since the late 1980s, a movement has been gaining momentum for the return of men to this dance.

Reel (reel)

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

Hornpipe (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. It is said that for the first time, women of the Irish County of Cork began to dance along with men. The musical size of the hornpipe is 4/4, reminiscent of a slow reel with an emphasis on the first and third beats (time -i-e two-i-e three-i-e four-i-e).

Irish dances in Russia and the CIS

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

Minsk
Kharkiv

Irish fast folk dance. Traditional Irish dance

History of Irish Dance

Varieties of Irish dances

History of Irish Dance

Irish dancing today

Kaylie

Types of dances

Jig (jig)

Reel (reel)

Hornpipe (hornpipe)

Irish dances in Russia and the CIS

see also

See what "Irish Dance" is in other dictionaries: