Irish dancer Hannah Redlich has shared yet another beautiful choreography - this one to Hozier’s song “De Selby (Part 1)" - to celebrate both St. Patrick’s Day and Hozier’s birthday!
Sharing her latest video, Redlich tells IrishCentral that though she's been a fan of Hozier for years, it somehow "evaded" her that he's Irish.
However, Hozier's Irish language lyrics in "De Selby (Part 1)" helped Redlich make the connection.
Redlich says that upon further sleuthing, she also discovered that Hozier was born on March 17, St. Patrick's Day, making him what she describes "about as Irish as you can get."
Redlich says: “Though ‘De Selby (Part 1)’ is not exactly a tune to which you would typically Irish dance (though, I suppose that has never deterred me), I felt my feet wanting to move to it."
She recalled hearing Hozier speak in an interview about how he used the Irish language in "De Selby (Part 1)" to transition the tune into a love song in which the characters are intertwined, perhaps in darkness.
"I couldn’t help but think about the Celtic / Norse legend of the Selkie; the shape-shifter seal woman who is bound to the shore when her skin is captured by a land-farer," Redlich says.
“I’ve had an affinity for the story ever since I watched 'The Secret of Roan Inish' as a little girl.
"The legend has had different meanings for me through different phases of my life, but for now, it is a reminder that we are all created with a calling and a purpose, but it is easy to find ourselves 'bound to the shore.'"
Redlich performed her original choreography, aptly entitled "De Selkie," in central California ahead of St. Patrick's Day (and Hozier's birthday!)
About Hannah Redlich
Redlich says: "I started dancing when I was 7 years old with Sandra Connick (North Carolina). As a toddler, I was obsessed with Riverdance! I still vividly remember dancing around the living room, mimicking Jean Butler's every move.
"I started briefly with ballet and tap, but fell in love with Irish dancing when I finally found an opportunity to learn it. I love the elegance and grace of soft shoe, the rhythm of hard shoe, and the uniqueness of this dance form. Though, I think my ancestral connection to Ireland has also driven my love for Irish Dance-- It's in my blood!
"As an artist, I've always liked thinking 'Out-of-the-box.' It was Michael Flatley's ingenuity that first brought Irish Dancing to my attention, and I'd like to continue perpetuating this traditional art form by making it accessible to new audiences.
"Though I also value traditional Irish Dance, it's fun to think of new ways to present it. I especially love the challenge of choreographing to music that isn't the usual Irish dance structure, and I try to incorporate hard-shoe rhythms as complementary percussion.
"Irish Dance has taken me all over the country, and I currently reside in California."
Comments