Yup, I've heard all those theories about the straight arms too. Another one says that the pubs are so crowded there's no room for the arms to be anywhere but by the sides! That one has my vote

But truthfully, my husband's grandmother, who died in the early 1980's when she was around 95, used to tell the story of dancing as a teenager in the hedgerows. She said they'd get someone to stand guard at the crossroads while they all danced. The guard was there to warn the others if the priest happened by. She said that the arms by the side was also an effort to not appear to be dancing if someone spotted them over the top of the hedgerows.

I also agree with the article's statement that it's the music that gets you. I don't think Irish dance would be so phenomenal if the music itself weren't so passionate. The combination is magical.

Results of Irish Dance contest delight Gresham boy
By ELENA LESLEY for The Oregonian

Derek Deans got to stay up way past his bedtime Sunday night.

The 9-year-old Gresham boy had to wait for the results of the North American Irish Dance Championships in Nashville, Tenn. Even though his placement wasn't announced until near midnight, the loss of sleep was well worth it.

Derek snagged eighth place in his age group in the competition that draws more than 3,000 Irish dancers every year.

"I was really excited," he said of his placing.

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Has anyone seen "Dance of Desire" in Dublin? I really enjoyed it - the dancing isn't as impressive as Riverdance and the production is a smaller scale, but it was still fun and much sexier than the previous Irish dance shows...

Irish dance alive and flinging at cultural club's June 29 festival
By Carol Norris for The Cincinnati Enquirer

"Irish dance on the way out? I don't think so," JoAnn Buck says. With 1,300 competitors at the Cincinnati Irish Cultural Society's 20th anniversary feis June 29, there are no signs interest is waning. Dancers had to be turned away.

"Because it was our 20th anniversary we decided to do some special things," Buck says. "We had a Scottish bag piper to play Irish music and a parade of Irish dancing styles through the years.

"This is something Cincinnati should be proud of. A lot of people from all over the country come - and stay here. With Mary McGing the brains behind it and her wonderful crew, it's one of the most efficient and well-run feis in the country."

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A lengthy article about the state of Irish dance stage productions.

Dance: Out of step
Irish dance needs to move on from the Riverdance years, says Karina Buckley for The Times


It was supposed to be no more than a diverting filler, an ephemeral slice of quasi-Celtic entertainment for Eurovision viewers, but it was, as we were repeatedly told in its aftermath, seven minutes that changed the world. In the space of one short television segment, Riverdance breathed new life into the sleepy rituals of Irish dancing. Almost a decade on and the impact of that night still resonates, sending ripples across the surface of tradition and fuelling a lucrative industry trading on a pop-culture image of Ireland.

Silk and velvet cushioned the crash of hundreds of beats per minute. Arms drifted and hips swayed as the traditions of batter and soft-stepping were blown away; this was the beginning of a revolution.

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Well, I would've loved to have read this article, but unfortunately when I tried to register to receive it, after filling out the registration COMPLETELY, the screen just keeps taking me back to the registration again (

So I will comment on the abbreviated little bit I read in your post: Yes, yes, yes! I wholeheartedly agree that there needs to be something new in Irish dance entertainment. I'm very tired of the present model. Riverdance has been wonderful but they simply can't be the only model that will work as Irish dance entertainment.

So far, I've seen 5 different productions, all of which are variations on the Riverdance (Or LOTD, which is itself a variation of RD) theme. Trinity Irish Dancers are really the exception and of course they've been around longer than Riverdance so they've never felt like they need to imitate it.

I sure wish I could read that article to see where it leads!

Irish dance plays a small part in this evocative description of homeland as a source of inspiration:

Time & Place: The hills were alive
Growing up by a mountain in rural Donegal was an inspiration for Clannad singer Moya Brennan for The Sunday Times


I was born in Dublin, but when I was two my parents moved to the village of Gweedore in the northwest corner of Donegal.

At first, we stayed with my mum’s parents, Gog and Gran Duggan, at the foot of the Grogan mountain looking out over Gweedore, with the Atlantic Ocean half a mile down the road.

My grandfather was the local head teacher and their house was also the schoolhouse. One of the outhouses behind my grandparents’ home was rebuilt to become the Brennan family home. In no time there was a sitting room, my parents’ bedroom and a small kitchen. My younger brother, Ciaran, and I loved it because the sofa was our bed and when anybody came to visit we stayed up late. Within a year another brother, Pol, came along and he slept in a cot in Mammy and Daddy’s room.

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I have just started taking Irish dance lessons (at the age of 25) although i have always been a fan. The one thing that totally puts me off ever feeling the need to compete (whether i get that good or not is debatable) is the whole curly hair/awful costume thing. Forgive me if i offend any Irish dancers who truly love the look but having done some research the pictures and information i found were really quite horrifying. Having read the points that JM made i wholeheartedly agree. The costumes in Riverdance i think show off the dancing a whole lot more and having read all about competition it seems that alot of emphasis is put on 'The look' Has irish dancing always been like this? Does your hair have to be curly? Do you lose points if it's not?? If you didn't wear this 'look' would you still have a chance?? I'd be interested in anyones comments!!

I altogether agree with the idea that yes, costumes similar to the ones featured in Riverdance would be more affordable and, I daresay, more elegant!
However, being an Irish dancer myself, it would be impossible to make that kind of a statement in Championship levels. Besides the fact that my teacher probably wouldn't let me compete in major championships let alone a regular feis without a current, up to date, costume, the chances of me placing as high as I would like to would become slimmer. Yes, it is nice to see dancers wearing simpler costumes but this strategy will never work unless every participant in the competition does the same thing. Judges tend to place those dancers that show particular care in their appearance on stage higher than those that don't. I'm living proof of this: At the 2003 North American Championships I placed 21rst. My dress was becoming out of date and even my teacher said I didn't look as sharp as the other girls. After purchasing a new dress, I placed 2nd at the Oireachtas a few months later.
Now I know what some of you are thinking: Practice makes perfect? Ok so the saying may be true, but trust me, the costume won't hinder perfection. As sad as it may be, the way you present yourself on stage is more important than it should be. Hopefully this will all change in the future. But for now, it is the sad truth.

It's March, which must account for the topical interest in Irish Dance. Joan Donaldson writes about the benefits of Irish ceili dance in the Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0312/p18s02-hfes.html

Beaverton, Oregon dancer Cameron Allard is looking forward to a competition in Belfast, reports Laura Gunderson in The Oregonian:

http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/metro_west_news/10788370669820.xml?oregonian?wbn

One more feature on Irish dancing, this one from Carson City, Nevada, in the Reno Gazette-Journal:

http://www.renogazette-journal.com/news/stories/html/2004/03/14/66191.php

CONNOR, TEN, LITTLE LORD OF THE DANCE
Irish dancer Connor Walsh's twinkling toes have notched up 70 competition wins.
BY JOSEPH WATTS for This Is Nottingham

Not bad for a lad who is still just ten years old.

He has just hot-footed his way to his latest victory, in the World Championships in Belfast.

He beat competitors from America, Australia, Ireland, Britain and other countries to take the world title in the under-11s age group.

Connor, who lives in Highcliffe Road, Sneinton, said: "I was quite nervous at the start, not because there were lots of people watching but because it was such a big competition."

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Pointe break - Jean Butler makes the right moves
The Riverdance star Jean Butler stepped back from her dance career, but she still has the right moves, says Mick Heaney for The Sunday Times.


The more Jean Butler contemplated the fate of the spectacular production that was supposed to seal her reputation and make her fortune, the clearer the full cost of the show became. After flopping in London in 1999, Dancing on Dangerous Ground had left Butler with debts running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. By the following summer the show’s failure had resulted in the demise of her production company and a heavy dent in the nest egg accrued during her time with Riverdance.

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