RIVERDANCE: A History of Irish Dance
In 1569, Sir Henry Sydney wrote to Queen Elizabeth about the Irish people: “They are very beautiful, magnificently dressed and first class dancers.”
Throughout Irish history, dancing has been done for pleasure, for performance, for joy and for mourning. At many times during Irish history, the Church tried to condemn or outlaw dancing, saying “In the dance are seen frenzy and woe.” Exactly right: in Ireland, people have danced for every emotion, from great joy to utter sadness. The Druids danced to worship the sun and the oak tree; when millions left Ireland during the Great Hunger, they danced before they journeyed on.
The Gaelic word for dance, “damhsa” shows the mixed quality of Irish culture; its origins are from the French word “danse,” brought over by French—speaking Normans.
Until the 18th century, most Irish dancing was communal, that is, danced by large groups of people. In a time before television, movies and the Internet, dance parties in houses or at the crossroads were often a community’s sole form of entertainment. Solo steps were first developed by dance masters in the 1900s. Many of the dances you will see at Riverdance—the reel, the jig, the hornpipe—were developed at this time.
THE DANCE MASTER
Dance styles were extended through Ireland during the 18th and 19th centuries by traveling teachers and performers known as Dance Masters. Dance Masters would wander from town to town, staying in a village for up to six weeks, sleeping in the kitchen or barn of a kind farmer, teaching the children of the village how to dance. The people of rural Ireland knew the folk dances taught by their parents, but people wanted the Dance Masters to teach them the new dances from far away places like France. It was considered a great honor for a town to host a dance master. Dancing was so popular among peasants and farmers that the coming of a Dance Master was a time of celebration for the whole village.
Flamboyant, colorful characters, Dance Masters wore bright colored hats, knee breeches, shoes with large silver buckles and held staffs while they walked. Dance Masters would usually have their own territories, usually not more than 10 square miles. Often Dance Masters would meet at fairs and compete to see who was the best dancer. The winner would take over the loser’s territory.
During this time, places for competitions and fairs were always small, so there was little room for the Dance Masters to perform. They would dance on tabletops, sometimes even the top of a barrel! Because of this, the dancing styles were very contained, with hands rigid at the sides, and a lack of arm movement and traveling across the stage. As time went on, larger places for dance competitions and performances were found, so styles grew to include more movement, more dancing across the sage as you see in Riverdance.
TYPES OF IRISH DANCING
Step Dancing
This lively, agile dance is perhaps the most well known Irish dance. First seen at the end of the 18th century, Step Dancing was created by the Irish Dance Masters. The emphasis in step dancing is on foot percussion or battering, and a rigidity in the upper body. Breandan Breathnach writes in his book, Folk Music and Dances of Ireland, “A remarkable feature of step dancing was the control or restraint which underlay the vigor and speed of the performance. The good dancer kept the body rigid, moving only from the hips down and with arms extended straight at the side…the good dancer, it was said, could dance on eggs without breaking them and hold a pan of water on his head without spilling a drop…”
Types of Step Dances:
1. REEL – Danced in 2/4 time, the word “reel” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “rulla,” or “to whirl,” and the motion of the reel is indeed a whirling, spinning dance.
2. JIG – Danced in 6/8 time, in a jig, the feet serve as percussion instruments, creating a drumming rhythm on the dance floor. This is called “battering.” As Carol Leavy Joyce, Irish Dance Coordinator for Riverdance, says, “That’s the type of dance that Riverdance is best known for – 30 kids rattlin’ out this rhythm…”
3. SLIP JIG – Danced in the unusual 9/8 time, the slip jig has a lighter step, with hopping and sliding motions. The Slip Jig is usually danced by two couples. The dance is alternated by a procession around the stage, returning to the beginning again when the music indicates. In Riverdance, the dance called “The Countess Cathleen” features 8 girls dancing in slip-jig time.
4. HORNPIPE – Danced in 2/4 time, the solo dance is usually done by a lone man.
CEILI DANCES
A ceili (pronounced kay-lee) is a grand party, a celebratory dance event. Communal dances adapted from group set dances and French quadrilles, set to Irish music that were danced at these events became known as “ceili” dances.
SET DANCES
About 150 years old, Set Dancing is a form of social dancing in which four couples in a square make up a “set” – usually 3-6 parts of the dance separated by pauses. Set dancing comes from French dances called quadrilles – brought to Ireland by English troops during the 19th century. The Irish Dance Masters adapted these dances and made them their own. You’ll see an example of set dancing in Riverdance in the dance “American Wake.”