Origins
History should start with the Celtics, that is, the Gaels (Gaels) in the Scottish Highlands. These peoples, who were scattered in Western Europe, including France, northern Spain, and the British Isles, immigrated to Ireland in the third century BC. They had the same language, Gaelic, and established some small kingdoms. The Romans and Germanic peoples later conquered the Gaels on the European continent, but did not conquer Ireland, allowing Gaelic culture to be preserved here. Although dancing was not yet popular during this period, the artwork survived and influenced the costumes and styles of Irish dance.
Historical records show that the British captured Ireland in 1170 and continued to ban Irish culture for the next two hundred years. But in Ireland in the mid-fifteenth century, many types of dances were created at this time. It was full of characteristics and popular throughout Ireland with its fast beat and side-stepping dance steps. At the same time, there were also quite a few works of Irish music. produce. The British still banned Irish culture at this time, for example they banned the flute and arrested flute players. Despite this, the more forbidden it becomes, the more it becomes full of magical temptation. Even Queen Elizabeth has repeatedly said that she "very much loves" Irish tunes and country dances.
The power struggle between Ireland and Britain continued into the 16th century. This period of severe oppression lasted for more than 100 years, which is why the teaching of tap dance in Ireland was initially conducted in secret. Even so, dancing was still very popular in the 17th century, and was usually performed on holidays, weddings, baptisms, or wakes. At this time, Irish dance developed many different forms and styles, laying a solid foundation for Irish step dance.
The first light
An important factor that promoted the development of Irish dance was the emergence of dance teachers around 1750 AD. Dance teachers usually travel and tour, staying in a village for about six weeks and staying with local families who are hospitable. They (male teachers) taught Irish dance in kitchens, villages, and even crossroads. Students must first learn the traditional Irish country dances—the jig and the reel. Sometimes, teachers even tie ropes around students' legs to let them distinguish the difference between their left and right feet. Although none of the villagers have any dance background, they are very willing to learn, and they feel that having a dance teacher teaching dance in the village is something to be proud of and they can show off to the neighbors.
Traditional dance teachers usually have existing dances, which they then integrate and innovate to create new dance steps. The form continues to evolve, and some dancers with more innovative ideas will add new elements, such as rocking, swinging their calves under the knees, or kicking their heels to make a sound. Sometimes, everyone will compete together to compete in dance skills. It is not the person who dances the best who is the winner, but the person who can dance the most steps wins.
Modern Development
Since the establishment of the Gaelic League in 1893, it has entered another period. This group encouraged a renaissance of Irish culture, as English-speaking culture had been suppressed during this century. In 1929, the Irish Dancing Commission was established and formulated rules for teaching, judging, and competition. Before 1929, dance, music, and costumes already existed in many places. Part of the committee's influence on Irish dance was to standardize these existing rules and habits. Dance teachers or referees must pass the professional examination and be qualified, and must register with the committee before they can actually teach.
In the 20th century, Irish dance's location, costumes, and dance techniques developed. For example, taking the dance teacher period we mentioned earlier, the stage was much smaller. When someone wants to show off their dancing skills, they can even dance on top of the barrel! By this time, the stage was getting bigger and bigger.
The level of dancers crossing the stage has also improved a lot. One way of judging is to reduce the number of points where the feet touch the stage, which can even be said to be "not using the stage"! And these steps require considerable space (like flying jumps). Another change is that the location of the competition is changed from barns or outdoors to hotels, schools, and market places. Additionally, the people teaching the courses are getting younger and changing from being mostly men to being mostly women. In competitions before the 1920s, female dancers were extremely rare.