Levels of Irish Dancing:

As with everything, learning Irish dance means starting at the bottom and getting the basics right - not everyone can be Michael Flatley after the first course! Courses and competitions are usually divided into three levels, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

All Irish solo dances consist of an introductory movement called the lead around, followed by the side-step and then a series of more complicated steps constituting the body of the dance before completing the dance once more with the lead around.

Beginner Level

Absolute beginners start with the basic steps: the lead around, the side-step and basic skips and hops. After one course the beginner should be able to dance one full basic soft-shoe dance (basic reel, basic jig, basic slip jig or basic single jig) be ready to progress to the more complicated solo & figure dances. Usually students master two or more basic soft-shoe dances before progressing to intermediate status.

Intermediate Level

Intermediate dancers work on their body posture and precision of movement, together with beginning to learn more advanced reels and an introduction to hard-shoe dances, e.g. Heavy Jig, St. Patrick's Day and The Blackbird. Some dancers who have experience in tap-dancing may be able to begin at this level, but it is recommended that all dancers learn at least one soft-shoe dance to appreciate the full variety and elegance of Irish dance.

Advanced Level

The advanced dancer concentrates on mastering more complicated rhythms, steps and choreographies: such as the Advanced Heavy Jig, Treble Reel and Advanced Hornpipe.

Points to Remember

1) The side-step is the basis of all Irish dances, and must be mastered before the dances can be executed with any degree of grace.

2) Interchange of positions by the dancers where the side-step is not specified is performed in a simple 1,2,3, movement in either reel time, i.e., 2/4 time, or jig time, i.e., 6/8 time.

3) Before attempting any particular dance learn the side-step, and be able to move in any and every direction at will to the 1,2,3, movement. Practise these movements to a dance tune.
4) Always dance lightly on the toes or on the ball of the foot.

5) Each movement is performed to a set number of bars in the music, so that when the dancers return to position at the completion of one movement they are ready to commence the next.

6) Reflect the rhythm of the music in the movements of the feet.