Irish dance is an energetic folk dance form, involving lots of hopping, jumping, and intricate footwork. It’s a lot of work, great exercise, and a ton of fun! Irish dancers get to perform and compete, which develops discipline, builds self-confidence, and teaches good sportsmanship. Irish dance is a great way to make friends and memories!

History

The Irish have been dancing for a long time. We don’t know how long, exactly, because the ancient Irish didn’t write down things like that for us to read about later. Also, the dancing and music and things were kept hush-hush as much as possible out of fear of the English. But we do know for sure that the Irish were dancing in the 1500s.

While Irish dances were influenced by the dances of England, France, and other European countries, Irish dances had a distinct, high-energy style. Their dances were mostly figure dances involving lots of people until dancing masters began traveling around the countryside teaching step dances in the 1700s. Some of their steps are still being danced by Irish dancers today.

Before the Irish Dancing Commission (An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha) was founded in 1929, Irish dance was done a little differently in every area of Ireland. An Coimisiun standardized dances, rules, and competitions, and began certifying Irish dance teachers. Soon Irish dance began to spread across the world, wherever Irish people had settled! Irish dance is now very popular after Irish dance shows like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance had huge success worldwide in the 1990s. The number of dance schools and participating Irish dancers continues to increase across the world.

Irish Dance Schools

The best place to learn Irish dance is at a certified Irish dance school. Irish dance teachers certified by An Coimisiun are called TCRGs. An Coimisiun is the largest and oldest Irish dance organization that certifies teachers and competitions. At a certified Irish dance school, you will learn traditional Irish dances as well as modern steps, and learn about Irish culture. You will also be able to perform and compete if you want to. There are hundreds of certified dance schools around the world.

Looking for an Irish dance school? Click here to view a list of schools!