History of Irish Dance
"Step dancing in Great Britain and Ireland"
From the International Encyclopedia of Dance. Format edited for the Web by Ashe.
General
Extremely nimble footwork is common to all forms of step dancing
Step dancing is a traditional form of solo dance known in several distinct but related styles in the British Isles and North America. Extremely nimble footwork is common to all forms of step dancing, and most are also performed essentially in place, using limited forward-and-back or side-to-side steps, always returning to an original floor position. Much step dancing also belongs to the larger world family of percussive dances, including tap and some North Indian dance styles, in which the feet sound out the dance rhythms on the floor. However, there is no firm dividing line between hard-shoe and soft-shoe dancing in the British Isles, since many steps are common to both. Step-dance steps also appear outside the context of solo dancing in reels and other set dances.
…such shoes eventually evolved into the tap shoes worn by stage dancers
Sound production in many forms of step dancing is aided by hard-soled footwork. In some parts of the British Isles, where step dancing shows great regional variation, step dancers simply wear shoes with hard leather soles. In other areas, including Ireland, hard-shoe step dances were traditionally performed in shoes to which cobblers or farriers had added thick pads of hammered-down nails or cleats at the toe and heel; such shoes eventually evolved into the tap shoes worn by stage dancers.
Modern Irish step dancers wear specialized versions of these traditional shoes that replace the nails with very thick flared taps of compressed wood or fibreglass at the toe, and with fibreglass heels, which make the loud and distinct sounds they need to compete with amplified music.
In those areas (usually costal) where wooden-soled clogs were worn, dancers discovered centuries ago that such shoes made a splendid rattle on hard surfaces, and dancing in clogs became widespread. The irons with which English clogs were shod also produced sparks on flagstone floors, which added to the appeal of this form of dance.
"Clogging" is never used to refer to dancing in clog-wearing areas
In the north of England, where step dancing is still often performed in wooden-soled clogs, it is often called clog dancing or, in a popularized stage version, the "Lancashire Clog Dance." The term clogging, however, is never used to refer to dancing in clog-wearing areas, where to clog means to resole a wooden-soled shoe.
A dance of the clogging type was formerly often taught in English dance schools as the Lancashire Hornpipe, together with a group of other "national" dances, including the Irish Jig, the Highland Fling, and the Dutch Dance (which was actually not a traditional dance, but derived from a stage show, Miss Hook of Holland).
The distinctive clogs of England (including a special light dance clog that dispensed with irons and was particularly used for dancing on a mat of wooden lathes) were probably developed from indigenous patterns, and not borrowed from Flanders, as has often been suggested.
Great Britain
Though step dancing existed in other parts of England, it was not widely known until recent years. The modern revival of interest was concentrated orginally in the Newcastle area, where step dancing was taught at local academies and where Jackie Toaduff became the first well-known modern virtuoso. During the 1950s members of the English Folk Song and Dance Society realized that a large body of traditional dances had never been explored; their research led to the notation and filming of dances from all regions of the British Isles.
Many of the form’s individual steps derive originally from traditional social dances, particularly reels
Many of the form’s individual steps derive originally from traditional social dances, particularly reels. Some scholars believe that the anglaise, a rather uncommon dance in the baroque suite, was originally a stepping dance, but no notation of it survives. Traditional dances that incorporate stepping include the Brixham Reel, the Dorset Four-Hand Reel, and the Wiltshire Six-Hand Reel in southern England, and the Square Eight, the Three-Hand Reel, and the "Down Back o' t' Shoddy" in the north.
Also noteworthy are the Morris jigs of the Cotswolds and the South Midlands, which are ideal examples of the steps of a group dance being rearranged for solo display. Conversely, some teams of northwestern Morris and northeastern sword dancers have over the years incorporated steps of the clog dance into their choreography.
There appear to be two main forms of step dancing. The first consists of a sequence of steps with no particular pattern, and which cannot be traced to any form of social dance; this form is common among the traveling peoples (who include true ethnic Gypsies, or Rom, among other nomadic groups in the British Isles).
The second and more common form features a definite pattern of six bars of stepping commencing with the left foot, followed by a two-bar closing step called a break. This sequence is followed by six bars of the same step of the other foot, closing with the same break. Another step is then begun on the left foot, and the pattern continues throughout the dance. This pattern is a development from the country-dance step pattern codified by Baroque dance masters.
Forms of step dancing vary considerably throughout Britain and Ireland
The steps themselves can be divided into two varieties, one done largely on the ball of the foot (shuffles), and the other done on the whole foot, sometimes called "heel and tow." In some areas, both styles are performed in clog dancing, and are sometimes even combined n the same dance.
Forms of step dancing vary considerably throughout Britain and Ireland. In Scotland some dances, such as the "Earl of Errol" and the Lancashire Hornpipe, are purely stepping danecs, and some reels ("The Drunken Skipper," for example) consist largely of the shuffle type of step. The "Highland Fling" and the sword dances, among others, tend to be rigidly codified for competitions; some steps that were once used have been proscribed and forgotten.
Ireland
Irish step dancing makes a stronger distinction between hard-shoe and soft-shoe dances. In Ireland the abundance of dancing groups, the prevalance of competitions, and a patriotic attitude toward the native culture have ensured the continued practice of the traditional dances, and rivalries among villages are still common.
Nonetheless, sean nos ("old style") Irish step dance - weighted, close to the floor, and unspectacular - is ever rarer, having been displaced by the virtuosic complexity, rigid carriage, and exaggerated aerial maneuvers of the competition style.
Wales
In Wales one clog dance, known as the Shepard’s Dance, is done with a broomstick or a lighted candle, or both. Dancing over a broom is common in all parts of England and the Channel Islands, and snuffing a candle by jumping and hitting soles together on the wick without touching the wax is a favorite pastime. The dance is also performed with a step similar to the Russian prisiadka, with the dancer crouching and kicking out each foot in turn.
Conclusion
Between 1880 and 1930 many clog dancing contests were held, each with an impressive title, so that virtually every one of the old dancers could claim to be a world champion. With the revival of the competitions at folk festivals, many dancers are busy improving old steps and creating new ones. Thus it becomes difficult for the dance scholar to distinguish between what is original and what is new; those who dance for display guard their steps as jealously as did earlier generations.
Step dancing is believed to have influenced the development of tap dancing in the United States; there is also a unique form of step dancing called clogging performed in Appalachia. Step dance traditions continue in the Irish and Scottish immigrant communities in the United States, both as social dances and in competitions. Strong and distinct traditions of step dancing also flourish in Cape Breton and Quebec in Canada.