American Dance History

Every one of us has a family history that is rich with traditions, practices and ethnic foods. Most of the United States is made up of immigrants that came from many different lands. My family is no different. Both of my parents have strong lines of Irish ancestry. These strong ties are what made Irish celebrations a regular occurrence in my family. St. Patrick’s Day was almost as important as Christmas when I was growing up. Irish (Gaelic) dance is a dying style of dance that has survived for so many centuries. The history of Gaelic Dance reaches back several centuries. There is no firm evidence to support the exact date of when this form of dance began. Many believe that Gaelic dance had its beginnings by druids in various religious

Queen Elizabeth was one of the first of royalty to have Irish dance performed in her court. The Most common dance to be performed in royal court by the Irish in the Sixteenth century was called the Trenchmore. This dance which was an improved version of an old peasant dance became the basis of what developed into Gaelic dancing. The dance involved the female dancers winding around their partners. There would always be some kind of musical instruments being played. The common choice was bagpipes, fiddles and harps. Sometimes the Irish would use dance to mourn the deaths of loved ones. They would usually dance around the coffin in ring formation, while somebody played the bagpipes. Irish dancing needed to become entrenched in to the daily lives of the Irish. This happened in the Eighteenth

It was a big deal if another dance master trespassed onto someone else’s territory. It was not uncommon to see a dance master kidnapped by another dance master. Some were tortured or even killed. Often a dance master would meet other dance masters at fairs or carnivals and hold insane dance offs. These would literally go on for hours until one or all of them literally collapsed from fatigue. The Dance Master usually wore bright clothes. The color of choice was usually green, and they often carried a staff. The outfits or costumes of today’s Irish dancers borrow costume ideas from the wardrobe of the dance master. The costumes of men consisted of a normal looking kilt, with a jacket to match. The final piece of clothing was a folded cape that was draped over one arm. The women wear dresses with an amazingly fantastic Celtic design on it. The woman’s cape was draped in such a way that required it be held in place by a beautiful brooch. As the popularity of Gaelic dancing grew, it soon became obvious that some rules are order were need if this form of dance wanted to