Irish Dancing

As its coming up to St. Patrick's Day, I thought that I would share with you something that is close to my heart - Irish Dancing.

 

I've been dancing since I was 6 or 7 years old. It all started when a few of my primary school classmates started to go to classes, after hearing them talking about it; I decided that I wanted to go to and after asking my parents, I began classes. Every week, I would put on my pumps (Irish Dancing Soft Shoes), go to class and learn steps and routines, this was hard work both physically and mentally, due to having to remember all the steps and technical information. After learning the beginners dances it was time to start going to Fèis (dancing competitions). This means having to get a dancing costume. After some searching and shopping, I had my first dancing costume, It was emerald green with a Celtic pattern. I remember the first time that I put it on... It was REALLY heavy. I honestly didn't know and still don't know how dancers could walk in these costumes, let alone dance in it. However there was no options in this, I had to wear it. Now a days the costumes have completely changed, they are now shorter, have more sparkle and less of the traditional patterns and they are made of lighter materials (luck girls!).

Irish Dancers have to have there hair curled, I honestly don't know why this was but it was somewhere in the rule book. Today, Irish Dancers simply put on a heavy curled wig but when I was dancing, wigs weren't really used, so I had to go the old fashioned way. Competitions where held on Sundays so on a Saturday evening I would have rollers, (yes rollers) put into my hair, this was VERY painful process. These rollers had to stay in my hair until I was at the Fèis, what fun as if I went out I had to have a full head of rollers in. Plus they were not the most comfortable things to sleep in. On the day of the Fèis, the dress and shoes would go on and the rollers came out (just as painful as putting them in) and then the competition began. Over the few years that I competed I was fairly successful, I won or was placed in quite a few of the competitions. I also have pasted some dancing exams up to a Level 4.

For as long as I live I will always know one dance, it is implanted in my brain. The Fairy Reel, it is actually a Ceili dance. My dance teacher made use dance it over and over and over again for weeks and weeks so that we could perform it at a Fèis, we came 3rd. However, this now is my favourite dance.

After performing competitively for a few years, I decided to leave Solo Dancing. Irish Solo Dancing became VERY competitive and I wanted to have fun and not spend all my time training. After leaving, it left me at a loose end, I didn't know what to do with my newly acquired spare time.

After a few months it was suggested that I try Ceili Dancing, after some thought I joined a local Ceili Dancing Class. From my time Irish Dancing, I had knew the basics, e.g. the steps, music timing and technical terms. This form of dancing is group dancing. Every week we would learn and practise different dances. This was a lot more fun as there was no competitions so there was no pressure. Every weekend different towns would hold a Ceili. At a Ceili, people from allover Ireland would meet in one hall and dance and listen to the live music together, laughing, making friends and more importantly having fun. Funnily this actually took up more of my time than solo dancing, as I would have a class on a Tuesday and would then go to a Ceili on a Saturday night, every week.

After moving to Scotland, it became impossible to carry on dancing so I found myself at another loose end. I tried to take up swimming but that lead no-where so I went back to the drawing board. After a lot of thought I decided to take up walking and after a few weeks I knew that this is what I wanted to do and I now have found something else that I love.........

Years of Irish dancing has left me with a few lasting injuries, namely my painful knees and ankles but I wouldn't change my dancing past.

When I am rarely in Ireland, I still go to Ceili's, I enjoy the craic (fun), music and off-course the dancing!!

I have lots and lots of stories in relation to this but its impractical to blog them all so I have written an over view. Hopefully it isn't too boring :-)