How it Originated

It's hard to tell exactly how Irish Step Dancing started. There are so many different stories and tales as to what started it. We do know, however, that Irish Dancing originated in Ireland during the 18th century. But the true roots of Irish Step Dancing came from the Celts and Druids who were living in Ireland -- before the influence of Christian religion. Both the Celts and Druids would dance in similar ways, in a circular fashion around trees they believed to be sacred. The remnants of these sacred dances have been seen in modern Irish dancing.

When the Normans invaded Ireland in the 12th century, they brought their own culture and spread their dancing styles throughout Ireland. The Normans would have one person dance in the center while people would dance around them in a circle with singing and music. This dance, called the ‘Carol’, was the first documented dance in Ireland. Over the next couple of centuries, the Carol evolved into the Irish Hey, the Rinnce Fada, and the Trenchmore. These dances eventually became more intricate with female dancers weaving in and out of male or even interchangeable couples. Irish dancing did not start to become more formal until the 18th century. During this time there was someone called the “Dancing Master”. The Dancing Master would travel from village to village giving the peasants dancing lessons. The best dancers from each village were granted the title of “soloist”. These soloists were able to show off their talents alone and were granted the spotlight. When a soloist would dance, the villagers would put doors on the ground to create a stage for them to show off on. On July 31st, 1893 the Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) was founded. The Gaelic League is an organization working to keep Irish culture alive by promoting it throughout the world. During the 19th century, it helped organize competitions, rules, and lessons surrounding Irish dancing. All of this led to the Irish DancingCommission being created in 1930 in order to regulate Irish dancing.

Once the Irish Dancing Commission started, Irish step dancing really took off and began to spread around the world.

Competitions

Other than performances, Irish dancers put on in bars or even on stage, many competitions are held during the weekend and there are many different types of competitions. The most basic level of competition is called Feiseanna or Feis for short. These competitions are divided by age group and dancer level (beginner, age group, novice, prizewinner, preliminary championship, and open championships). In order to compete at the higher qualifying competitions, you have to do well at Feis’. Once you do well enough at Feis', you can go to the Oireachtas or the regional championships. Each country is divided into different regions and all the top dancers from that region go to the Oirechtas for a spot to compete at the Nationals and the Worlds -- or, they could even compete at the Oireachtas for fun.

When dancing for fun, most dancers would perform a traditional set dance which does not have any qualifying factors since traditional sets are only danced at the regional competitions. Each dancer is scored based on timing, rhythm, and techniques such as turn out, crossing, and posture. Each country also has its own national competitions which dancers from overseas can compete at. For example, if a dancer from Ireland wanted to compete at the North American Nationals, they can do so and be given the opportunity to qualify for the World Championship. Other countries like Ireland, Scotland, and Great Britain have their own nationals that anyone can compete at as long as they are qualified for nationals. You can qualify for nationals at the regional competition, or if you are dancing in the Open Championship category, you are automatically qualified for the nationals every year. At majors like the nationals, you only dance solo or you dance a ceili.

The Worlds competition takes place in a new location every year and is the highest-ranked competition -- only the best of the best can compete there. The best dancers from all around the world come to this event.

The next Worlds competition will take place in Belfast, Ireland in 2022.