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A Brief history of Irish Dance
By Maldon Meehan
www.ceili.wizardisland.org
The Irish word, "Céilí" (kay-lee), has several meanings. It can indicate a specific type of dance - Céilí figure dances - but it can also it can mean a dance event. At the Portland Céilí Society's third Friday Céilí dances it means an evening of traditional Irish music, dance & drink. At the events, Céilí dances, set dances and two hand dances (such as shoe the donkey) are performed.
Types of Irish Dance
Céilí Dance
Céilí or figure dances were originally danced at house dances. Céilí dances range in the number of participants (2 hands, 4 hands, 6 hands, 8 hands, 16 hands or more). The majority of the dances are danced in jig (6/8) or reel (4/4) time. Today they are primarily danced in competition. Today if you attend a Céilí dance in the republic of Ireland you will not see Céilí dances danced, you will see sets. Céilí figure dances are more predominate in the North, however this is changing with the popularity of set dancing.
Set Dancing
Irish set dances were derived from the French quadrilles introduced circa 1816 by soldiers returning home form the Napoleonic Wars (Breathnach 1983:27). Set dances can be broken down into steps and figures. Sets, as they are called, are danced in square formation. A set is comprised of various sections called figures. These figures can range in number anywhere from two to nine. A particular tune type, generally a reel (4/4), jig (6/8), slide (12/8), polka (2/4) or hornpipe (2/4 or 4/4) accompanies each figure.
Irish Sean-nos
Sean-nos dance, not to be confused with Sean-nos singing, comes primarily from Connemara and is generally danced to reels. The dance form is highly improvisational, low to the ground and rhythmic.
Transmission: The Dancing Master
According to Breathnach, the Knight of Glin ordered dancing masters within his territory to teach the quadrilles (Breathnach 1983:28). The dancing masters adapted these dances to Irish music, increasing the tempo of the music and adding new steps to the movements (Breathnach 1983:28). With the aid of the dancing master, set dances disseminated throughout Ireland.
The dancing master's visits generally lasted only six weeks. In the dancing master's absence people continued to learn by observation and attending dances. In the winter months dances took place at house dances; neighbors and families would gather for an evening of dancing, music, food, drink and socializing. In the summer months, dances were held on platforms or at crossroads (see Lynch 1989:2, Hammond 1990:12).
Decline/Change of Set Dance Practice
The Gaelic League, the Catholic Church, the Dance Hall acts of 1935 and modernization have all contributed to the decline and change of set dancing practice. The Gaelic League, founded in 1893 to promote Irish language and culture, banned set dancing form its céilí (dance), because it was perceived as being of foreign origins (Breathnach 1983). Ironically, the céilí they banned was fashioned after the Scottish ceiligh and was held in London in 1897 by the London chapter of the Gaelic League (for more information on the first céilí see Breathnach 1983 and Cullinane 1990, 1994 and 1998).
Dancing has been under attack from the church since the seventeenth century (Curtis 1994:71). Music scholar P. J. Curtis quotes a parish priest from 1670: 'dancing...is a thing that leads to bad thoughts and evil actions. It is dancing that excites the desires of the body. In the dance are seen frenzy and woe, and with dancing thousands go to the black hell' (Curtis 1994:71). This was an attitude taken by many religious authorities (see Austin 1993).
Not surprising, the church responded to the arrival of the 1920's modern dances, such as the waltz, fox trot and quickstep, by speaking out against them (Curtis 1994:73). In 1924, O'Doherty, the Bishop of Galway, stated: "The dances indulged in are not the clean, healthy national dances but importations from the vilest dens of London, Paris and New York, direct and unmistakable incitements to evil thoughts and evil desires" (Curtis 1994:73).
Both church and state were actively against dancing. The Fianna Fail government of the day, sharing the moral concerns of the Roman Catholic Church as well as reacting to rumors that profits from private dances were given to fund the I.R.A., enacted the Dance Hall Acts of 1935 (Austin 1993:11). The bill states: 'no place...shall be used for public dancing unless a public dancing license... Is in force in respect of such a place' (quoted in Austin 1993:11). Though the bill was initially intended to regulate these new modern dances, it was applied to unlicensed dances in general (ibid. 1993:7). The passing of these acts assisted in ending the house, cross roads and platform dances. Currently (1999) the files on the dance hall acts are still unavailable to the public.
A public dancing license was issued only to those whom a district judge considered of 'good character'. Often licenses were refused to rural communities based on the difficulty of supervision (Austin 1993:13). The act was enforced by Gardi (police) who had the authority to arrest offenders. In some instances, the only person who could obtain a license was the parish priest (Austin 1993:14).
Modern technology has also influenced set dance practice. As transportation become more available, musicians and dancers were able to travel greater distances to play and dance. This brought about an exchange of tunes, dances and styles, which influenced dancers and musicians. In addition, with the advent of alternative forms of entertainment available to the general population, set dancing (in some locations) evolved into a specialized choice, rather than a common form of community entertainment. While Breathnach notes that dancing continued with an unbroken line in certain regions, namely Sliabh Luachra and West Clare, in general dancing sets was rare from 1940-1960 (Breathnach 1983:29). The 'revival' seeds started to grow in the 1970's. Today much of the dancing takes place in pubs, classrooms and dance halls (Lynch 1989:155).
Set Dance Revival
A renewal of interest in set dancing was sparked with the Gaelic Athletic Association's (G.A.A.) Scor competition in 1971 and in the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann competitions in 1978 (Lynch 1989:3). The criteria for competition dancing also has an effect on set dancing practice. The smooth relaxed country dancers could not compete with the precision of the competition style. In order to compete, dancers often changed the way they danced and in some instances, they changed their set. Some dancers decided to change and others decided not to compete in order to preserve their dance (Lynch 1989:127).
In 1982 at the Willie Clancy Summer School, Milltown-Mallybay, Co. Clare, Joe O'Donovan introduced the set dancing classes (Hammond 1990:9). This was the catalyst for the 'revival'. Classes in set dancing commenced in Dublin at the Brooks Academy. Teachers began holding classes in Cork, Galway and other cities. To say that there was a 'revival' of set dancing does not mean that sets were not practiced. The 'revival' took place in the cities. Dance collectors visited various areas where sets had been/were practiced and brought these dances to the cities.
This renewed interest brought about the publication of set dancing collections. Na Piobairi Uilleann (The Uilleann Pipers Club), under the influence of Breathnach, published the first set dancing book entitled The Piper's Set and Other Dance edited by Terry Moylan. Further publications were to follow (see Moylan 1984, 1985a, 1985b, 1988; Hammond 1988, 1990; Lynch 1989; Murphy 1995; O'Doherty 1995).
The reliability of set dancing material is problematic. The majority of the collections are concerned with putting into print a version of the dance, rather than an anthropological or ethnographic approach (for a criticism of one particular collection, see Edward's (1996) review of O'Doherty (1995). These collections are often criticized for taking the dance out of the context of the tradition. Despite the criticisms of these works, they have contributed to the 'revival' and preservation of set dancing, but there is a call for more scholarly work. As noted Irish poet W.B. Yeats said 'How can we know the dancer from the dance' (Yeats 'Among School Children').
The 'revival' has brought about new traveling dancing masters; some of them include the late Connie Ryan, Terry Moylan, Joe O'Donovan, Timmy McCarthy, Pat Murphy, Larry Lynch, Patrick O'Dea and others. In Ireland and abroad, workshops, festivals and set dancing classes are currently being conducted. Along with the traveling dancing master, has come the traveling student. Dancers from many locations come to attend summer schools and festivals in Ireland. Currently set dances are performed in America, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan and more (see Yamashita 1996 for one example).
Set Dance Practices
Today, within the 'revival' there are what dancers would call 'traditional', 'competition' and 'revival styles. "When watching set-dancers, it is possible to tell who their teacher is, or whether they are competition set-dancers, simply by the style of their dancing" (Lynch 1989:3). These three 'styles' exist within the 'revival'. These categories are not absolute.
Before I continue, it is necessary to discuss the terms 'style' and 'traditional'. There are difficulties with these terms, however, I will use them because they are commonly used within the tradition (Rice 1994:12-15). 'Style' is controversial because not all dancers in a region or a category have the same style (see Keegan 1997 and Corcoran 1997 for a discussion). The term 'Traditional' is problematic because it is difficult to know what is traditional (see Rice 1994:12-15 for a discussion). I am using it to describe dancers in the 'revival' whose dancing resembles and older-style of dancing. The tradition of the 'revival' can be viewed in Hobsbawn's terms as an 'invented tradition' (Hobsbawn 1883).
In the 'traditional style', dancers generally dance low to the ground in a smooth graceful fashion, sliding their feet along the dance floor. The footwork is individual and improvisational. Male dancers have more of an active or dominant role than female dancers. The men dance the batter, while the women dance gracefully and support them. The waltz hold is relaxed and close to the body and the dancer holds his/her hands in a relaxed manner at waist level. Lynch applies the metaphor of the dancer's head remaining on an invisible plane and never rising above it" to describe the style (Lynch 1989:11).
Due to the guidelines of competition dancing, competition dancers tend to dance in a uniform fashion. The dancers hold themselves in an erect manner. In the waltz hold, dancers hold their arms high and bent at a forty-five degree angle. Hands are held at shoulder level as in competition céilí dancing. Competitive dancers draw the precision of footwork and elevated dancing from Irish step dancing.
In the 'revival' style, women often dance in the same manner as the men (Lynch 1989:11). Many dancers argue that the formalization of set dance has brought about uniformity in footwork, terms and movements (see Lynch 1989). I argue that there has been a standardization due to the formal transmission process, but improvisation and variation still exist within the 'revival'.
References
Austin, Valerie
1993. "The Céilí and the Public Dance Hall Act, 1935", in Eire-Ireland: A Journal of Irish Studies, The Irish American Cultural Institute, Fall.
Breathnach, Brendan
1983. Dancing in Ireland, Miltown-Malbay, Co. Clare: Dal Cais Publications.
Corcoran, Sean
1997. "Concepts of Regionalism in Irish Traditional Music" in The Local Accent: Selected Proceedings form BLAS. Dublin: Colour Books Ltd. Pp. 116-122.
Cullinane, John
1990. Aspects of the History of Irish Dancing. Cork: Self-published.
1994. Further Aspects of the History of Irish Dancing. Cork: Self-published.
1998. Irish Céilí Dancing: 1897-1997. Cork: Self-published.
Curtis, P. J.
1994. Notes from the Heart: A Celebration of Traditional Irish Music. Dublin: Poolbeg Enterprise Ltd.
Hammond, William
1990. 'Call the Set no. 2. Cork: Cork Folk Pub.
Hobsbawn, Eric
1983. The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Keegan, Niell
1997. "The Verbal Context of Regional Styles in Traditional Irish Music" in The Local Accent: Selected Proceedings form BLAS. Dublin: Colour Books Ltd. Pp. 116-122.
Lynch, Larry
1989. Set dancing in Ireland: History and Evolution. Miltown-Malbay, Co. Clare: Seadna Publications in Ass. with Dal gCais.
Rice, Timothy
1994 May it Fill Your Soul: Experiencing Bulgarian Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Yeats, W. B.
1990. W. B. Yeats Collected Poems.
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