Reel Around the Sun

River dance's opening number Reel Around the Sun is one of the most iconic dance numbers in Irish dance. The way the dancers start separated around the stage as individuals and melt together as one unit in their formations is inspiring. The dramatic beginning with the dancers slowly becoming one, was an influential technique that was used in future Irish dance numbers. Watch as Irish dance history is made in the opening number of Riverdance. 

This video in 1996 led to many present developments of Irish dance numbers where formations are the main part of the piece. The majority of Irish dancers are competitors while Riverdance shows the performance side of Irish dance where telling a story prioritizes competition. This is where the art of Irish dance is prevalent.

Lord of the Dance

Michael Flatley is the Lord of the Dance. This picture was taken in 2016 when he created his new show Dangerous Games.  The finale is pictured below.

Flatley started off starring in Riverdance and gained his fame through his famous trebles where his feet moved so fast you could barely see them. When he created his own show, "Lord of the Dance" it took off and became one of the most popular dance tours in the world. In his recent years, Flately created Dangerous Games as his retirement show which is a more in depth version of the original Lord of the Dance with storylines.

The 5 Positions You Need to Know to be an Irish Dancer!

Every young Irish dancer learns the five positions to begin every dance. As you get older and mature as a dancer you get to skip a few of these but for now I am focusing on the beginners.

The 5 Positions

As you follow this list, bear in mind this is meant to follow an 8-count to the music. 

1. Begin counting to four and ON four, tap your feet with both feet together and facing forward
2. On five, keep your heels together but spread the top of your feet creating a V 
3. On six, keep your left foot where it is but move your right foot forward so that your right heel is touching your left toe. Don't forget to keep your feet turned out!
4. On seven, keep your left foot where it is but point your right foot in front of you while maintaining a turned out foot
5. On eight, the final count before dancing, pull your right foot back from the point and with both feet turned out and with the right foot slightly in front of the left, stand on your toes

Ending with both feet on your toes allows for maximum movement to begin any step. Remember you begin these five positions when you count to four!

Confusing? Teaching a young child? No worries! Here is how I taught three year olds the beginning positions. 

For Young Beginners

In my experience, this phrasing of words seemed to work really well for my young beginners. In future blog posts I'll dedicate more time to fun phrases I used as the children got older and were able to learn more complicated moves. 

1. Count to four! "One, two, three, TAP!"
2. Now turn your feet out and make your heels kiss each other! Look down, do you see a "V" shape?
3. Now cross! Make your left heel kiss your right toe
4. Now we are Irish ballerinas, point that toe!
5. Now stand on your tippy toes its time to dance!

Good luck everyone! Happy Dancing!

The Best Irish Songs to Dance to

Irish dancers can dance to anything that carries a beat but what are the best classic Irish songs to dance to?

• Rocky Road to Dublin by the Dubliners or The High Kings 
• Lord of the Dance by Ronan Hardiman
• Cry of the Celts by Ronan Hardiman
• Galway Girl by Celtic Crossroads
• Teir Abhaile Riu by Celtic Woman
• Reel Around the Sun by Crimson Ensemble
• Countess Kathleen by Crimson Ensemble
• Riverdance by Bill Whelan 
• Tell Me Ma by Shamrock

Between soft shoe and hard shoe and between slip jigs and reels, this list has it all. 

The Celtic Goodbye

The Parting Glass

The Irish ballad about death is one of the most beautiful pieces of Celtic music. Covered by multiple artists (Ed Sheeran for example) and sang to two different melodies, the ballad can be a tune of sorrow or an upbeat melody perfect for Irish dancing to. 

A Ballad of Death

"So fill to me the parting glass,

Goodnight and joy be to you all"

These words resonate deeply as the Celtic voices harmonize and the flute flutters in the background. It is a truly beautiful song. 

The Honorable Dance

I danced to an upbeat pride-filled version of The Parting Glass three years ago as a finale in my last dance show. It was an experience like no other. 

I stepped out on stage for our usual finale dance number and danced through the motions I knew so well as the fiddles carried my feet to the fast paced melody. We bowed with our right foot pointed as we always did but this time something felt different. 

The seniors were in the front row with tears in our eyes as we knew this was the end of an era and we were parting with each other before heading off to college. Then... something changed. A man stepped out on stage with a guitar in his hand and he was joined by a fiddler and a flutist. He sang a cappella into the microphone the opening lines of The Parting Glass and my heart sank. 

"Of all the money that 'er I've had

I spent it in good company..."

I knew these words too well as I had choreographed and taught a whole dance number to this song and as a final goodbye, my dance coach surprised me with the honor of having everyone dance to my masterpiece. Right on cue, 20 dancers stomped their hard shoes as they followed their feet across the stage. I joined them and in unison we danced, filling our own parting glasses. 

The Rutherford Review

All Irish dancers need a pair of ghillies (soft Irish ballet shoes) and a pair of hard shoes (heavy tap shoes). But what company has the best quality shoes?

Rutherford is a well known company that specializes in Irish dance shoes and costume pieces. I had recently needed a new pair of both hard and soft shoes (ghillies) and decided to purchase both from Rutherford. The Irish company has a reputation for making shoes that last a really long time and that are of the best quality of leather (both shoes are made from leather for durability). But having highly durable shoes means they need lots of breaking in.

When an Irish dancer purchases new shoes, hard shoes especially, they need to "break them in" by bending them in multiple directions and placing the bent shoes under pressure to hold the position. It is recommended to hold them bent under a couch for days and weeks at a time to maximize the leather's flexibility.

The Review

I had purchased Rutherford hard and soft shoes in January and had placed them under the bed for 4 months while I was studying abroad in London so that they would be perfect and ready for dancing in when I returned. This week I took it upon myself to give them a try and I was more than pleased. Both shoes were comfortable and the leather was bendable enough to allow for maximum foot flexibility and I didn't feel restricted in either pair.


The hard shoes were the right weight so that they were heavy and loud when my foot hit the ground but I didn't have a hard time lifting my feet. The tip of the hard shoe was perfectly comfortable and strong so that I could go on my toes without issue or pain.

The soft shoes weren't stiff and allowed fluid motion without looking like I had flat fleet. I was able to point my toes easily and the balls of my feet were comfortable with the sturdy padding on the bottom.

I would recommend this company to any Irish dancer looking for a new pair of shoes!

Music in the Irish Dance World

Some believe that Irish dance should stick to the traditional roots and dancers should only dance to celtic music. I believe that although holding on to those Celtic roots are crucial to not lose the celtic identity, Irish dancers should dance to any music they get their hands on.


The Irish dance world is not a big one. Some people have never even heard of Irish dancing and boy have I come across quite the handful of people that don't know what it is. Not going to lie, it stings a little when people don't know what my favorite thing in the world is. This is why it is crucial for Irish dancers to break a little bit out of that tradition and expand the music genres we dance to. When a small community in the world can relate to a wider audience, the community and support grows. Irish dancers can dance to quite literally anything. From pop, jazz, blues, and everything in between, there is no limit to what an Irish dancer can make their own. This allows for creativity for the individual dancer as a well as a bridge to others in other communities.

What Makes Irish Dance Different?

Some think Irish dance is similar to tap dancing and although there can be some similar characteristics, the style and rules of Irish dance are extremely different. It is a very distinctive form of dance that requires athleticism and flexibility. What makes Irish dance so different is the form and music.

Body Posture

What makes Irish dance so recognizable is the strictness of body posture with arms at the sides and hands in a specific fist. Irish dancers will train their upper bodies by dancing with pads squeezed between the arm and the side of the torso. Irish dancer's should have the body of ice and feet of fire. With knees staying close together and feet always crossed and turned out, the art of Irish dance is strict and powerful. Rarely do dancers leave this position unless it is to perform a graceful soft shoe or Irish ballet dance.

Music

The melodic fiddle and the flute are the most popular combination of instruments in Irish music although Irish dancers can dance to anything. However, the three most popular forms of Irish dance music follow the reel, jig, and hornpipe.

Reels, Jigs, and Hornpipes

There are different kinds of Irish dance that match the different styles of music. The most common is the reel and most modern music and pop songs follow the same metre as the reel. The reel follows 8 bars (counting 1 through 8) and the time signature is 4/4 meaning there are 4 beats to every bar. The jig also follows an 8 bar but the time signature is 6/8 meaning there are 6 beats to every bar. The hornpipe, instead of counting 4 beats per bar, there is an emphasis on the first and third beat, giving a bounce feel (1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4).

Like I said, Irish dance is unique and maybe now you can see why. There are so many different layers to it between the different style and techniques and the variability of dance moves. Keep on the lookout for future blog posts about the fun yet incredibly difficult moves Irish dancers learn and master.

Irish Dance in a Glance

Not Irish? Who cares! It was never just about being Irish.

Welcome to my blog! Who am I? I am just an Irish dancer. This blog aims to capture the essence of the Irish heritage and culture while twisting it into other people's parallel experiences. 

Between the music, the dance, the homeland, and the influence, this blog will highlight the importance of devotion in everyday life.