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.