Growing up as an Irish dancer, you have many lessons to learn. The lesson of form stuck with me as I grew up and advanced into the more complicated classes. As you dance, your upper body should always be stiff with your back up straight as if you were being controlled by a puppeteer. Your feet and legs are the only thing that should ever move in Irish dance unless your arms are required for a certain dance. We were always told "body of ice, feet of fire".
Practicing in classes I would always say to myself under my breath, "body of ice, feet of fire". Although classes were less strict compared to performances, I would never let my body stray from this form. During performances on stage or at an event, if I started to get tired and let my shoulders slouch, I would immediately pick myself back up and remind myself "body of ice, feet of fire".
To me, this was the most crucial and important lesson in Irish dance because it showed discipline and demands proper form.
A message to all the Irish dancers out there: no matter how tired you may be or how close you are to being done your set, always remember and never forget "body of ice, feet of fire".
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