Irish Dance Glossary
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Glossary of Irish dance - Helpful guide to those new to Irish dancing
There are 36 entries in this glossary.S
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| School costume |
A costume uniform worn by a particular school. |
| Set Dance |
Group dancing that has somewhat standard dances, danced with shuffling steps and lots of spins. These are not regarded as traditionally Irish, the style having come originally from the European continent, but are quite popular just the same. |
| Set dance, Championship or Nontraditiona |
Much like the traditional set dances, though danced to music played considerably slower than traditional speed. Instead of dancing the same steps, however, contemporary solo set dances give choreographic license: one dancer’s "Lodge Road," for example, can be incredibly different from another's. |
| Set dance, Traditional |
A fast or traditional-speed hard shoe dance to a specific tune, such as "Saint Patrick’s Day" or "Garden of Daisies". Set dances usually have an "odd" number of bars in the dances (as opposed to the 16-bar steps of regular dances). These are usually made of a "step" and a "set". For example, a set dance could have sixteen bars in the step, and twelve in the set. These dances have traditional steps that are choreographed to the music, which everyone dances nearly the same. |
| Side step |
A dance step that moves from side to side. It can be eight or sixteen bars long, and typically follows a lead-around of the same length. |
| Single Jig |
see Jig entry for more information |
| Slip Jig |
Slip jigs are in 9/8 time (ONE-two-three four-five-six seven-eight-nine). The slip jig is danced in soft shoes and is the most graceful of Irish dances. It features light hopping, sliding, skipping and pointing. (see Jigentry for more information) |
| Soft shoe |
See "Ghillies". |
| Solo costume |
A costume created for an individual dancer. In North America it is common to have dancers earn their solo costumes by achieving a certain ability level, while in Ireland and Great Britain, dancers often can have solo costumes even when a beginner. Solo costumes can range from simpler, older costumes to the complex, stiff modern dresses. |
| Solo dancing, step dancing |
A style of Irish dancing which focuses on the individual dancer, concentrating on tricky footwork and other virtuoso choregraphy. It is further separated into softshoe and hardshoe dancing. Dancers may dance their solo steps alone, or side by side with other dancers. |