Irish Dancing: A Celtic Family Passion Essay

Every family has some wonderful tradition that they share with each other and the rest of their kindred spirits. Our family holds Irish dancing as our most beloved musical tradition, and we share it amongst ourselves along with those in the world around us. Individuals who have viewed Michael Flatley’s, Riverdance or The Lord of the Dance, have heard the beautifully entrancing music and the almost hypnotic percussion nimbly played by the tapping of dancer’s feet. The swift and graceful movements, colorful costumes and mystic aura that this Irish dancing traditions hold can only be told best by those who have partaken in the event, danced the dance and been allured by the magic of the sounds. The following writing will explore some of the experiences of our family’s Irish step dancing tradition, as well as how we share it with the public world. Irish dancing means a great deal to us because it serves as an expression of our ethnicity and of who we are as a family. The females of our kin begin their dance training early, at about the age of three to four years. Almost as soon as they can fit into the shimmering brocaded dresses and tiny tapping shoes, the young ladies eagerly take to their lessons. Each dance that they master acts almost like a rite of passage and many of the girls soon find themselves performing at pubic fairs, parades and even dancing competitions. We pride ourselves in our little dancer’s endeavors since as stated by Wulff, â€Å"When it comes to Irish competitive dancing, the attempt to build character goes back to childhood and circles around the idea of national identity†(Wulff 2003, 186). Through this media we can express our particular ethnic heritage in the ever diverse United States. Younger and older generations practice together at family gatherings and put on a show for everyone. Males of our family also receive encouragement to pursue the activity, but the accomplishment of the women usually outshines them. In relation, the accomplishments of our Irish dancing heritage come with time, difficulty and dedication, in which our family takes pride. Irish dancing consists of rules of movement that do not make for an easy learning experience. To watch Irish dancers in competitions is to see how they must move in â€Å"jumps† with their backs straight, their arms tight to their sides and make it only appear that their legs do the work. Now imagine trying to do all of that and make a distinct rhythm with nimbly tapping feet. One of the proposed theories for why such strict rules of movement in Irish dancing exist states, â€Å"Irish bodies have long been subjected to particularly stringent forms of control by church and state, and within this context dancing has been deemed especially problematic†(Dyck and Archetti 2003,5). Others believe that the Irish values of, â€Å"proper manners† plays a vital role in the dancing posture (Wulff 2003, 182). Either way, the skill comes with hours of practice and dedication. Winning a public award for Irish dancing plays an important role in our family affairs. Those who have competed often travel around the nation at various times of the year, and many of us will travel with them to encourage and support their efforts. Award winners also usually have a lead part in producing the dances for our family gatherings, as well as act as teachers to our younger dancers. Consequently, the type of dancing that has been spoken of thus far constitutes a type of Irish dancing called â€Å"step dancing†. There are also jigs, polkas and other genres of Irish dancing that we partake in. These less formal types of dance usually occur solely at family gatherings. None of our family members have pursued a professional learning experience or participated in competition in any of these other genres that we know of to date. However, just because we do not pursue them as vigorously as step dancing does not mean that they are not enjoyable. Family events and competitions do not make up the entirety of our Irish dancer’s experiences. As mentioned previously, parades and community events also don the list. Sometimes our family dancers put on shows for charitable causes, church functions and Irish festivals. All of the opportunities that avail themselves help us express ourselves and our unique cultural heritage to our community. Also, as with the charitable causes, we have the opportunities us to use our talents help those in need. Performing for these community gatherings helps to inspire us as, and encourages our dancers to continue on with their grueling practice. Concerning Irish step dancing, it has probably by far the most dynamic of the music structures of Irish dance genres. This is due to the fact that the tapping of the dancers feet give more intricate percussion to the established musical rhythm. For example, â€Å"Riverdance is usually associated with the crescendos of the signature section and the long Chorus Line of Irish dancers pounding out their unison steps†(Wulff 2003, 187). The aim of such percussion centers on eliciting a powerful emotional reaction from audiences, aside from just impressing them with complicated dance steps. Irish dancers want their audiences to feel every note, every tap and every emotion that the music and dance combined can convey. As dancers, the goal revolves around letting others experience the heart and soul they put into their activity with every pounding beat on the stage. Joining with several dancers on stage not only urges those feelings deeper into the hearts of the audience members; it also gives them the sense of how the power of several individuals acting in unison can create a breathtaking experience. Acting together to create such a response in the audience helps dancers to recognize and appreciate the bonds of their ethnic heritage as well as their achievement in performance skills. Correspondingly, immense evolution of Irish step dancing has taken place since Michael Flatley entered the spotlight. In his performances Irish step dancing takes on more fluid movements, rather than the rigid, hands-at-sides traditional postures. This addition of the greater emotional expression using body movement caught on and made Irish step dancing quite popular. The outcome: The response was extraordinary; after the performance calls poured in from all over Europe for the video. A CD was recorded; it sold out and the show was transformed into a full-length evening of dance and music, which swept London, New York City, and the world. Today in towns and cities around U. S. boys and girls are taking up step-dancing in record numbers (Finnegan, and McCarron 2000, 394). Flatley’s work has brought Irish step dancing to the forefront, romanticized it and possibly changed its course in history as the popularity continues to grow. By and large as it can be seen, the magic and honor of our experiences in Irish dancing comes through to our family from many sources. We gain a sense of nationality and cultural heritage from dancing with our fellow family members and other Irish step dancers. We take pride in our ethnic heritage as we perform for both charitable causes and competition, which inspires our public audiences. Not to mention that our family’s field of musical tradition in turn has taken inspiring turns as Michael Flatley’s performances have drawn immense amounts of attention and popularity. Overall, the intricate steps and emotional combination of music and movement in Irish step dancing has created for us a unique way for our family to continually appreciate our ethnic background and take pride in our heritage. Works Cited Carmichael, Jennifer. â€Å"Re: Interview questions. † Email to Irish dancer. 9 July 2006. Dyck, Noel, and Eduardo P. Archetti, eds. Sport, Dance, and Embodied Identities /. New York: Berg, 2003. Questia. 10 July 2006 . Finnegan, Richard B. , and Edward T. McCarron. Ireland: Historical Echoes, Contemporary Politics. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000. Questia. 10 July 2006