Celtic Dance

Celtic dance has spread far beyond its European roots to become a worldwide phenomenon. With sold-out audiences flocking to spectacular shows such as Riverdance, and rural communities forming their own step-dance troupes to perform at local county fairs and the like, Celtic dance has proven to be accessible to far more than those with an Irish heritage.

A Brief History of Celtic Dance

The far roots of Celtic dancing come from the celebrations by warriors in the highlands, and as such are not well documented. The more solid history comes from the tradition in Ireland of sean nós dancing, which means "old style." This style of dance was originally a solo art with a very strong relationship to the Irish traditional music that was also played at the time. The choreography featured a very loose and calm upper body while the legs hit the floor with complex percussive steps. Unlike many other cultural dances, sean nós dancing didn't have stories or religious significance, but were more devoted to collaboration with the musician playing an instrument such as the melodeon.

Sean nós dancers were encouraged to be self-expressive and improvisatory in their dancing, but as time went on the basic steps and dances became more codified, leading to the emergence of "dance masters" in the 18th and 19th centuries who would travel from village to village, teaching the basic steps as well as spreading new trends in the dance. Although this occasionally led to competitive demonstrations of skill, for the most part sean nós dancing is non-competitive. Gatherings of dancers are common in almost every country at venues from pubs to fairs, but the most prestigious (and largest) is the annual An Oireachtas na Gaeilge in Ireland. The traditions of the Dance Masters are still taught today, along with new dances making this a truly "live" art form.

StepDance and Ceili

While sean nós is steeped in tradition, it is not the only form of Celtic dance to come into the 21st century. Step dance and Ceili are also directly descended from the Celtic tradition.

Step Dance

Groups of dancers all over the world enjoy step dance, which is a dance method formalized by the Irish Dancing Commision. The Commission has created a more competitive nature of dance, with 30 dances performed to jigs and reels published in the "book" of dances Ar Rinncidhe Foirne. At a step dance competition, groups will perform small sections of these dances and be judged by more experienced dancers and teachers.

The dances tend to fall into two categories, hard shoe and soft shoe. The hard shoes for men and women are much like tap dance shoes, with fiberglass taps set into the toe and heel. The soft shoe is more like a ballet slipper (without a hard toe) for women, or a jazz shoe for men. In soft shoe dances, men's choreography will feature percussion performed by the hard heel. The dancers will often wear elaborate costumes embroidered with Celtic designs and sequins during the competitions.

Ceili Dances

Less competitive and more social are the Ceili dances, which are based on a dance form from France called the quadrille (which also happens to be the ancestor of the square dance in America). Able to be performed by any number of dancers in groups from two to eight performers, they are usually directed by a caller and accompanied by traditional Irish music. In fact, the term "ceili" also represents a party-like gathering of musicians and dancers, often gathering at a pub to share the traditional sounds and steps together.

The Spread of Celtic Dance

In the 1990's an Irish dancer named Michael Flatley teamed up with musician Bill Whelan and fellow dancers Jean Butler, Maria Pagés, and others to create Riverdance, a high-tech music and dance stage show that became a rave hit when it came to New York's Radio City Music Hall in 1995. Still touring today with three companies, it is only one of many Celtic dance performance companies touring and entrancing audiences worldwide.

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