Product Description
Designed by Award Winning Artisan, AQ from County Donegal, Ireland.
Irish dancing has spread in popularity worldwide since the seven minute worldwide debut of "Riverdance" on Eurovision in 1994. Since that time, Irish dancers are no longer defined by location or ethnic descent. In fact, "over 70 million people worldwide class themselves as Irish" (Ó Cinnéide 2002, p.91) and the number of Irish step dancers in North America outnumber Irish dancers in Ireland itself.
* Great pendant for the Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Sister etc.
* Each Step Dancer Pendant is a little different
* Artisan, AQ cuts each pendant
* No two are exactly the same
* Own a piece of step dancing history
* Maybe you are a Group Dancer like the necklace
* Made in the West of Ireland in County Donegal
* Three Dancers adorned on this stunning pendant
* High Polished, Sterling Silver
* Could possibly be engraved
The Pendant measures 1 1/2" at their widest width and 1 3/8" in height and completed with a Sterling Silver 18" rolo chain.
About the Dance
The group dances are called céilí dances or, in the less formal but common case, figure dances. Competitive céilís are more precise versions of the festive group dances traditionally experienced in pubs and church basements.
There is a list of 30 céilí dances that have been standardised and published in An Coimisiun's Ar Rinncidhe Foirne[7] as examples of traditional Irish folk dances. Standardized dances for 4, 6 or 8 dancers are also often found in competition. Most traditional céilí dances in competition are significantly shortened in the interests of time. Many stepdancers never learn the entire dance, as they will never dance the later parts of the dance in competition.
Other céilí dances are not standardised. In local competition, figure dances may consist of two or three dancers. These are not traditional book dances and are choreographed as a blend of both traditional céilí dancing and solo dancing. Standardized book dances for 16 dancers are also rarely offered. Figure Choreography competitions held at major oireachtasi (championships) involve more than 8 dancers and are a chance for dance schools to show off novel and intricate group choreography.
Some dance schools recognised by an Coimisiun Le Rinci Gaelacha place as much emphasis on céilí dancing as on solo dancing, meticulously rehearsing the dances as written in the book and striving for perfect interpretation. In competition, figure dancers are expected to dance their routine in perfect unison, forming seamless yet intricate figures based on their positions relative to each other.
History
Irish dancing was originally danced by the Druids during pre-Christian times in honor of the oak tree and the sun. They danced in rings which was the pre-cursor to Irish ring dances of today. When the Celts migrated to Ireland from Central Europe, they brought their folk dances which blended with the dance of the Druids to form the distinctive Irish dance of modern times. Men and women roles in Irish dancing developed as a result of the complexity of Irish dance routines.
Separate men and women roles in Irish dancing can be seen in Irish set dancing. In this type of dance, pairs of men and women in four sets stand facing each other along the sides of an imaginary square. Each pair of men and women has different roles in the dance figures and are called by different names. Although Irish set dancing has no cue callers, the men and women are aware of their respective dance roles in the set. All the pairs of men and women begin and end the dance together.
There are certain Irish dances called reels and jigs. The men and women roles in Irish dancing of reels and jigs are determined by the dance form. The footwork of the dancers of both gender must be perfectly coordinated for a flawless presentation. Practice sessions for Irish dancing are therefore rigorous and demanding and require disciplined effort for accomplishment.
