Irish Dance Research Paper

When taking such an overarching class such as this, there is a lot of outside influence when trying to choose a topic on which to narrow one’s mindset. Then to delve into the depths of a topic regarding a specific type of dance or movement is something in and of itself entirely. Some might find it difficult to decide on a path to follow and others might find that choice a bit easier. Luckily for me, I knew exactly what I wanted to learn about from the beginning. My ancestry is my influence on making my decision to study and research the history of Irish dance for this final research paper. I come from two heavily Irish families who hold true to their heritage pretty well, and I take pride in my Irish roots. All of the women in my family (and

The formation he had described was in two long rows which was the beginnings of one of the three first Irish dances: the Irish Hey, the Rinnce Fada (longdance like the one Sydney watched), and the Trenchmoore (IrelandsEye). The Trenchmoore was brought back to Queen Elizabeth from English invaders, and the Hey was the start of the modern day reel (IrelandsEye). One thing I’d like to add on this portion is that we still see the effects of this English invasion in Irish dance because this is what many believe to be the reason Irish dancers keep their hands and arms tight to their sides while dancing. This was so the English soldiers believed the people to be standing instead of dancing because the dancing was not allowed at the time of the invasion—or so historians believe (Carr). However, a more practical thought as to why the arms aren’t used is because Irish dance began as a social dance that was done in groups. Since the areas these dances were performed weren’t very large—like the hearthstone or on a table/barrel—the arms were kept by the dancer’s side in order to conserve space (Carr). This is interesting because this is also a time in history where other dances like ballet have been put onto grand stages or ballrooms for all to view. The Irish way of dance seems to have stayed fairly contained throughout the years and done with a more intimate crowd and setting which is great to see. It keeps the Irish culture strong at