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U.S. economy deals a harsh blow to Irish dancing

Christina Ryan-Kilcoyne doesn’t normally advertise her dance classes. She doesn’t normally have to. “I’ve never had to advertise before,” says the fair-haired teacher from Co. Clare, who came to the U.S. in 1988 and set up a dance school in Pennsylvania. “The kids just used to come. But this year my beginners’ class is down by half.” FULL STORY >

Look! No wigs! Now that's what I call Irish dancing!

Kelly Fincham: Every morning I scour the web to see what's making news of Irish interest and up popped this picture on the right. It's a piece from Cleveland.com about an Irish dancing teacher called Eileen O'Kennedy Dunlap who is teaching American children how to do the intricate steps in a place called Medina. None of the girls are wearing those hideous wigs of ringlets and curls which have infiltrated Irish dancing like noxious weeds. FULL STORY >

Championship Irish dancer dies in fishing accident

A champion Irish dancer has drowned in a fishing accident on Long Island Sound. Billy Laube, 20, from Plainview in Suffolk county, died after the flat-bottomed dinghy he was fishing from capsized near Fort Salonga on Saturday night. FULL STORY >

Step dancers set new world record at Charlotte Irish Summer Festival

It was a day to remember in Charlotte, North Carolina, Saturday as 400 step dancers congregated and danced their way into the Guinness Book of World Records. FULL STORY >

Mitsi Fink - an Irish dancer whose age does not limit her ambition

With her glowing wig of black curls and bright smile, Mitsi Fink looks like she’s 18 when she points her toes to dance at the Long Island Feis on Sunday. She has danced for seven years and is in four competitions at the Long Island Feis. But Mitsi only took up step-dancing when she was 25 years old. She’s one of the few adult dancers at the feis and is competing with people much younger than her. FULL STORY >

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Irish dance can broadly be divided into social dance and performance dances. Irish social dances can be divided further into ceili and set dancing. Irish ceili dances are danced by formations (ceili) of couples of 2 to 8 people. Irish social dance is a living tradition, and variations in particular dances are found across the Irish dance community; in some places, dances are deliberately modified and new dances are choreographed. Irish performance dancie is traditionally referred to as stepdance. Irish stepdance, popularized in 1994 by the world-famous show "Riverdance," is notable for its rapid leg movements, body and arms being kept largely stationary. Most competitive stepdances are solo dances, though many stepdancers also perform and compete using ceili dances. The solo stepdance is generally characterized by a controlled but not rigid upper body, straight arms, and quick, precise movements of the feet. The traditions of Irish dance probably grew in close association with Irish traditional music. Originating in Pre-Christian Ireland, Irish dance was later influenced by dance forms from Europe. Travelling Irish dance masters taught all over Ireland, as late as the early 1900s. As the Irish peoples migrated to other hills, they have taken sean-nos dancing with them. This form of Irish dance then has influenced various other forms of traditional solo dance extant in those other lands — such as American traditional informal freeform solo folk dancing. Old-style step dancing (a tradition related to, yet distinct from, sean-nos dancing) evolved in the late 18th and early 19th century from the dancing of traveling Irish dance masters. The Irish dance masters slowly formalized and transformed both solo and social dances. Modern masters of old-style step dancing style can trace the lineage of their steps directly back to 18th century dancers. The Irish dance masters refined and codified indigenous Irish dance traditions. Rules emerged about proper upper body, arm, and foot placement. Also, dancers were instructed to dance a step twice — once with the left foot and once with the right. Old-style step dancers dance with arms loosely (but not rigidly) at their sides. They dance in a limited space. There is an emphasis on making percussive sound with the toes. Irish social, or ceili dances vary widely throughout Ireland and the rest of the world. A céilí dance may be performed with as few as two people and as many as eight. Ceili dances may also be danced with an unlimited number of couples in a long line or proceeding around in a circle (such as in "The Walls of Limerick", "The Waves of Tory", or "Bonfire Dance". Ceili dances are often fast and complex. In a social setting, a céilí dance may be "called" — that is, the upcoming steps are announced during the dance for the benefit of newcomers. The term ceili dance was invented in the late 19th century by the Gaelic League Ceili as a noun instead of an adjective. A ceili is a social gathering featuring Irish music and dance. Ceili dancing is a specific type of Irish dance. Some will only have céilí dancing, some will only have set dancing, and some will have a mixture. In various parts of Ireland on St. Stephen's Day, December 26th, Wrenboys (mummers) celebrate Wren Day (also pronounced as the Wran) by dressing up in straw masks and colorful clothing and parading through towns and villages accompanied by traditional ceili music bands.

U.S. economy deals a harsh blow to Irish dancing

Look! No wigs! Now that's what I call Irish dancing!

Championship Irish dancer dies in fishing accident

Step dancers set new world record at Charlotte Irish Summer Festival

Mitsi Fink - an Irish dancer whose age does not limit her ambition

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