Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Types of Dances -- Hard Shoe

The hard shoe dances are probably the most distinctive of all the Irish dances. Hard shoes are similar to the boys’ soft-shoes, except they have a fiberglass tip and heel. The tips and heels are used to make the thundering beats that are at the core of hard shoe dances. Boys and girls wear the same shoes for hard shoe dances.


There are four dances that are performed in hard shoes. These are heavy jigs, hornpipes, hard shoe reels, and all set dances.

Heavy Jigs
Heavy, or hard shoe, jigs are performed in 6/8 time by both boys and girls. Jigs are usually very aggressive and contain many clicks, both in the front and behind the dancer, as well as fast trebles (taps) and loud stamps.

Hornpipes
Hornpipes are danced in 4/4 time. At first, men were only allowed to dance hornpipes because of the aggressive, brazen nature of the dance. Today, both men and women dance hornpipes. The hornpipe is different from the heavy jig in that it is much more forceful with short, staccato trebles.

Hard shoe Reels
Hard shoe reels are performed by both boys and girls and are usually very creative. Hard shoe reels are not done in normal competitions, but are usually done for shows or other performances. The lively reel music gives dancers a chance to showcase their fastest footwork. Many competitions hold special hard shoe reel competitions, which is a crowd favorite.

Set Dances
Set dances are danced to either jig or hornpipe music that has not changed in at least a century. Set dances are performed by the highest level of competitors due to the difficult steps that are included in the dance. Because the music has not changed, judges often are very critical of how the dancer interprets the music during his or her set piece.

Some of the most common set dances include Planxty Drury, The Blackthorn Stick, The Drunken Gauger, King of the Fairies, and The Blue-Eyed Sailor.

Along with common set dances, Irish dancers also dance traditional set dances. These dances are learned by every student in every dance school around the world. There are several variations to these dances, but most of the movements are the same, regardless of the school one attends.

The traditional set dances include Saint Patrick’s Day, The Blackbird, Job of Journeywork, and The Garden of Daises.

Sources:

Dudney Irish Dance School. (1996). Irish Step Dancing – A Brief History. Retrieved March 19, 2008 from http://www.dudneyirishdance.com/options/history.html

Flynn, Arthur. (1999). Irish Dance – The Dances. Retrieved March 19, 2008 from http://www.irelandseye.com/dance.html

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