Irish Dance
Irish Dance is a general term for a group of dances with roots in modern Irish, Celtic, and Western European cultures. A major influence was the Norman conquest of Ireland in the 1100s, which added new cultural elements to Irish folk dancing and pagan/Druid rituals. Group dances (now Céilí) became the main form of dance, and dances were performed at nearly every social and religious gathering. In the 1700s, Irish Dance began to split into more recognizable forms, as "dance masters" began to perform their own solo dances and teach solo and team dance in villages around the country.
Irish Dance today resembles many other organized sports, with schools sending their teams and solo pupils to compete, but it remains unique in its connection to cultural heritage and performance.
Some current styles of Irish Dance include:
Links
- [1]
- [http://www.irelandseye.com/dance.html History of Irish dance at Irelands Eye
- Types of Irish dance
- [2]
