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Irish Dancing without the glitz

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  • 28-12-2012 3:06pm
    #1
    G-Man
    Registered Users Posts: 548 ✭✭✭


    I brought my young daughter along to an end of year Class/School Feis of a niece so she could see it. As well as lots of older kids doing really good dancing, there were kids as young as four doing a few small steps adequately enough. While all in all the dancing was very good, the teacher was really committed and helpful to the youngsters, I thought the aspect of 4 year olds competing and receiving points in front of a judge a bit awful... I though well maybe its a one off, maybe its just that school. Can kids learn to dance and not have a competition?

    Over the christmas I got to watch a BBC documentary about the world irish dancing in Glasgow. THere it was plain to see as well as excellent dance, there was an emphasis on over the top wigs, makeup and costumes. So my questions are

    Can I find a teacher/school who does not do so in a competitive atmosphere for such young ones (OK when the reach 10+)

    Can she not expect to dance in normal costume, or must she at some stage be putting on luminous colours and make up etc..


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    #2
    neil_hosey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,712 ✭✭✭neil_hosey


    Sean nos dancing maybe?


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    #3
    doolox
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭doolox


    ...is the almost obligatory emphasis on costume and makeup at a ridiculous cost in time and money when one would imagine that the emphasis should be on artistic rhythmic movement of the body and not on the style of dress and ridiculous wigs more appropriate to my big fat gypsy wedding than on practitioners of the terpsicorion arts.

    Sean Nos seems to be the way to go, they seem to wear minimal uniform style clothes at presumably modest expense, no wigs and little or no irrelevant make-up.

    Many people of modest background are put off Irish dancing because of the expense not only in travel but in costumes etc which, I believe, are too expensive for most families.


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    #4
    strandroad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,676 ✭✭✭strandroad


    You can of course send your child to classes but not to feisanna; they may however feel left out if others go. Some teachers are less competitive while others encourage their pupils to compete at every opportunity to it's best to really ask around about it too.

    I think that beginners are not allowed to wear individual costume, so it wouldn't be required until they reach Intermediate/Open.

    There is also some degree of stylistic differences between dancing organisations. A teacher is usually certified by one and sends pupils to this organisation's competitions. CLRG.ie is the largest (but also the most competitive) while others like CRN.ie are more traditional/local and less "showy".


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