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!

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.