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Intro to Irish DancingIrish dancing is a traditional form of dance which developed over several centuries in Ireland and has since been popularised by shows like Riverdance. There are various different forms but the Roberts Academy teaches Irish Step Dancing. This combines complicated footwork with a straight body and arms. The Dances There are two different types of solo dancing - soft shoe and hard shoe. Soft shoe combines movement and big leaps with footwork such as twists and rocks. Hard Shoe is the "noisy" type, dancers wear shoes with fibreglass tips and steps include trebles and drums which create intricate rhythms in time with the music. Dancers will start learning the soft shoe dances first, with the Beginner's Reel. They will then progress to learn other soft shoe dances and then move onto the hard shoe dances such as the Jig and Hornpipe. For competition these dances are performed solo. However for shows and displays, special group dances may be choreographed. We also teach and compete in team dances - Ceilis and Choreographies. Ceilis (pronounced kay-lee) are traditional dances, usually for 4 to 8 dancers and have specific steps and movements, so every school will dance the same steps. Choreographies are modern, unique dances created by each teacher, so each school has their own, and they may include anything from 2 to 16 dancers. The Music Irish dancing, not surprisingly, is usually performed to traditional Irish music! The tunes include Reels, Jigs, Slip Jigs and Hornpipes, each of which has it's own Competition An Irish dancing competition is called a "feis" (pronounced fesh, plural feiseanna). Dancers are able to compete against dancers from other schools in solo and team competitions and work their way through various levels (Beginner, Primary, Intermediate & Open). At the highest level, Open, dancers compete in Championships where the result is worked out by three or more judges, over three rounds. As well as local feiseanna, there are also annual major championships including the State Championships and Australian Nationals. At the very highest level dancers are even able to qualify and compete at the World Championships, which are held annually over the Easter week.
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characteristic beat and rhythms. The instruments used vary widely and may include the fiddle (violin), flute or pipes. The most common instrument played for Irish dancing though is the accordion.