Class Schedules | Irish Dancing Overview | Adult Classes | Workshops

Irish dancing will help build strength, coordination, flexibility, listening skills and confidence. It will teach discipline while allowing you to have fun and make lasting friendships. With time each student will have the opportunity to compete in a competition or Feis ( pronounced "fesh") as well as perform around the area.

Each student will learn solo dances as well as figure or team dances. Solos are dances that are done individually. Figures (team dances) are done with 2 or more people. Solo dances with the soft (light) shoe, called Gillies, include the Reel, Light Jig, Slip Jig and Single Jig. Solo dances with the hard shoe include the Hornpipe, Double Jig, Traditional Set and Set Dances. There will also be performance material that will be taught when the students have reached that level. Students must learn the basic four light shoe dances before proceeding to the hard shoe dances. Irish dancing is done in steps, meaning each dance builds on the one before. One cannot jump into the hard shoe without learning the light shoe first. Once a student has mastered a dance, he/she can then learn the next level. For example after the beginner Reel comes the easy Reel, the intermediate Reel and then the hard Reel. Each dance has different levels of difficultly that can be learned, depending on if the student is ready or not.

 

Irish Dancing Magazine