LoveToKnow Dance:AllComments

Comments

Hi Nunya, I couldn't agree with you more! I am not an Irish dancer myself, but of course I've been to workshops now and again because I think trying out as many types of dance as possible is a great way to experience different types of dance and gain appreciation for them. It's amazing how dancers can make it all look so effortless when they perform...but anyone who's tried dancing knows from experience how hard getting it right is!

-- Contributed by: Rachel Hanson

---

Thanks for all the info Ailey! Great to hear some news about how Irish dance is being showcased today, surely very interesting about the wigs! And of course we can see in several showcased performances that the costumes are made of so many colors, but the wigs, make-up and tanning...well that's information we have to get from the inside, so thank you very much!

-- Contributed by: Rachel Hanson

---

Actully Irish dance costumes come from the book of Celts and they do not always have White and green, in fact they can be what the person purchasing the dress wants. I have a purple, white, copper, and lilac dress, and the design is derived from a Celtic knot. Right now we have changed the overall look of Irish dance. People tan, wear lots of make-up, and the dresses are above the knees. Our shoes are made with fiber glass today because it is a lighter material, not metal and nails, and we have "soft shoes", called gillies. Irish dancers also wear wigs to make it look like we bounce higher. The wigs probably weigh from 1 pound or 2 pounds. The wigs originated when the dancers would curl their hair before church and they would go to a fies(competition) so their hair is curly. Today we have sparkles too.

-- Contributed by: Ailey O'Conner

---

irish dance is so much harder than it really is... all the wigs and make-up can fool you but we are really sweating our butts off striving for perfection!

-- Contributed by: nunya
> Return to article