Two Factors that have Influenced the Evolution of the Irish Step Dancing Tradition

MU4001: Critical Encounters with Irish Music and Dance, University of Limerick,

Irish World Academy of Music and Dance

Irish dancing has been a central part of Irish culture for a long time, and the dancing style has evolved and developed over this time majorly. Through this development, there have been a variety of influences; there have been some political, religious, and even geographical influences, but the main two focus points of this essay I will be accounting for are nationalism and globalization and I will continue by illustrating how they contributed to the evolution and development of the solo Irish step dancing tradition.

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Irish Step Dancing and Nationalism

The primary focus for our topic of Nationalism in Irish step dancing in the Gaelic League. Referencing Irish Central (Smith, M. (2013) “The world of Irish dance - the globalization of traditional Irish dance in the 20th century,” Irish Central), “...in Ireland, dance was an expression of nationalism.” (Irish Central 2013). The words of Catherine Foley - a course director at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, Ireland - gives us more insight about the Gaelic League. Referencing Foley from her research journal (Foley, Catherine. (2001) “Perceptions of Irish Step Dance: National, Global, and Local.” Dance Research Journal. 33/1 (2001): 34-43),

For the nationalist movement in Ireland, a cultural representation was needed to establish an Irishness that was possessive and different from Englishness. Therefore, the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge), an Irish Nationalist party established in 1893, had as its primary agenda the deangelization of Ireland. (Foley 2001)

The central focus of the Gaelic League in Ireland after its establishment was to promote cultural nationalism with Irish step dancing as a “symbolic embodiment.” (Foley 2001) Due to the agenda of the Gaelic League and its involvement with the deangelization from the English, step dancing in Ireland was not allocated until the inauguration of the Irish Dancing Commission, otherwise commonly known as An Coimisiun Le Rinci Gaelacha.

The organization...remains today as one of the leading institutional structures in Irish step dance, overseeing all aspects of competitive Irish step dance under its jurisdiction, both in Ireland and abroad. (Foley 2001)

From the Gaelic League and An Coimisiun Le Rinci Gaelacha, Irish ceili dances were then introduced, in turn introducing another perception of this idea of Irishness and cultural nationalism in Irish step dancing. These ceili dances chosen by the Gaelic League and by An Coimisiun to be represented as Feisanna, or dance competitions and festivals, constructed the Irish social dancing culture across Ireland. “Competitions functioned as a nationalist challenge…” (Irish Central) Referencing Irish Central on the topic of social dancing in Ireland,

Solo step-dancing and an invented social dance form called ceili were combined under the nationalist designation, ‘Irish dancing,’ according to Frank Hall, author of “Competitive Irish Dance: Art, Sport, Duty. (Irish Central 2013)

The evolution of social dancing events across the nation brought the development of the World Irish Dancing Championships by An Coimisiun Le Rinci Gaelacha, a way for these certain dances to be featured and a way to promote nationalism through solo Irish step dancing. Referencing Foley again in her research journal about the competitive step dancing culture,

Young female dancers, in particular, have dominated the prescribed national aesthetic of high frontal and spatial movements. With their curled hair and heavily embroidered dance costumes, they are considered representative of the national perception of Irish step dance. (Foley)

It had been a common thought of this competitive culture and this national perception of step dancing consisting of predominantly girls and female dancers that young male dancers felt restricted in a way and turned to other physical activities such as football. This gave way for Irish step dancing - mainly for female dancers but not restricted to - being a “national outlet.” (Foley)

Irish Step Dancing and Globalization

Globalization in Irish step dancing is most commonly known through world renowned professional dance productions such as Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and more. According to Catherine Foley (Foley, Catherine. (2001) “Perceptions of Irish Step Dance: National, Global, and Local.” Dance Research Journal. 33/1 (2001): 34-43), “The global popularity of Irish step dance as seen in Riverdance and Lord of the Dance has given rise to critical reflection on notions of cultural identity.” (Foley 2001) This is where Irish step dancing began to convert from cultural nationalism to popular culture not just around Ireland and Europe, but the world.

The world first got to see Irish step dancing from a global perspective when Riverdance had first been seen at the 1994 Eurovision Contest. The reason that Riverdance had become such a spectacle was because the show portrayed real Irish dance, real Irish music, real Irish instruments, and it portrayed that sense of a real “Irishness.”

Riverdance was an attempt at positioning Ireland globally and culturally, representing a contemporary Irish identity to both the Irish themselves and to the world...What, then, was a global attraction that turned a seven-minute interval piece into a full-length commercially successful stage show to be subsequently followed by yet other full-length Irish step dance shows. (Foley 2001)

There had been a lot of factors about the 1994 Riverdance Eurovision performance that portrayed globalization of Irish step dancing and captured audiences’ attention. One of those factors had been the incorporation of a wide variety of dance genres, not just Irish step dancing; flamenco, Russian, and tap dance had all been featured in the performance along with Irish step. “What led this stage show to its mass appeal is its hybridity, the way it includes representations of disparate cultural dance forms.” (Foley 2001) Another factor of globalization in Riverdance had been the “westernization” illustrated throughout the show, consisting of western style theatrics, lights and sounds, stage technology and costumes,

The Irish dancers were suddenly required to move in a theatrical manner previously not expected of them...In effect, then, Riverdance theatricalized Irish step dance from a Western point of view. (Foley 2001)

From the quote above, Foley gives us a sensational explanation of the appearance of westernization in Irish step dancing through Riverdance, henceforth portraying that image of globalization. Riverdance didn’t just show a western image through dance, however, there had been modernization in the music and instruments played in the show as well; Bill Whelan - a musical composer for Riverdance: The Show - incorporated a variety of contrasting musical genres alongside traditional Irish music; a couple of examples of those inclusions were rock and swing. The purpose of Whelan mixing in Irish traditional music and these contrasting music forms and genres was to add to the western contemporary and modernized feel of the show and to help position Riverdance into globalization. With Riverdance being known more around the globe, this contributed to a sort of chain reaction for other Irish step dancing shows as well as local and abroad competitive dance schools to follow in the original footsteps of Riverdance with the addition of new and improved perspectives of Irish step dancing,

The success of Riverdance was determined by economic, temporal, and dance and music structures already in place. However, it was the combination of dance, music, lighting, costumes, and technology on a “big stage,” presented in a western theatrical manner, that enabled Irish dance to become acceptable to popular audiences. All of these aspects of Irish dance stage shows contributed to what is currently a global homogenization of the representation of Irish step dancing. (Foley 2001)

Foley nears the end of her research journal with the following words discussing the connections of globalization and capitalism in the Irish step dancing world,

Individual entrepreneurs have capitalized on Irish dance as a cultural commodity. In turn, this has helped transform perception of Irishness, its cultural representation, and Irish step dance itself. (Foley 2001)

Concluding Statement

In some sort of a logical sense, we can say that nationalism in Irish step dance and globalization through Irish step dance feed off of each other and in which the two aspects are codependent; the world-renowned spectacle show Riverdance, the Gaelic League, and An Coimisiun Le Rinci Na Gaelacha all rely on each other. Riverdance and the aspect of globalization in Irish step dance would not be where it is today, or maybe not even have an existence, if it wasn’t for the establishment of both the Gaelic League and An Coimisiun Le rinci Na Gaelacha and the promotion of cultural nationalism throughout Ireland. Through this essay, I have demonstrated the effects that both nationalism and globalization have had on the evolution and development of Irish step dancing, both throughout Ireland and the world.

I’ll leave you now with a quote:

“We are one kind. We are one people now, our voices blended, our music, a great world in which we can feel everywhere at home. Ni neart go chur le cheile: Together we are strong.” - Riverdance

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Sources Cited

Ni Bhriain, O. (2015) ‘Step Dancing in Ireland: Culture and History,’ Issue 6 (Volume 23), Book Reviews, [Available: History Ireland]

Mullanhaur, J. (2019) ‘A Changing Focus: The Evolution of Irish Step Dancing Competitions in Australia’, Cambridge University Press, [Available: A Changing Focus: The Evolution of Irish Step Dancing Competitions in Australia | Dance Research Journal | Cambridge Core]

Foley, Catherine. (2001) “Perceptions of Irish Step Dance: National, Global, and Local.” Dance Research Journal. 33/1 (2001): 34-43. [available: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1478855]

Smith, M. (2013) “The world of Irish dance - the globalization of traditional Irish dance in the 20th century,” Irish Central, [Available: The world of Irish dance - the globalization of traditional Irish dance in the 20th century | IrishC