There's a lot to cover for the prospective Irish dancer. From tips to help you prepare for your first lessons, to exactly what those strange costumes we wear are, this section is the beginner's dream.
1.) Before You Start Lessons
2.) Shoes
3.) Costumes
4.) Costume Care
1.) Before You Start Lessons
The number one thing to remember when looking for a studio is that legitimate, certified Irish dance schools will generally not be associated as part of a multiple-dance academy. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that Irish dance has its own governing body, its own rules, and teachers have to be certified by an official commission in order for their students to compete. Also, where ballet teachers may also be qualified to teach jazz, lyrical or modern, Irish dance teachers are often less multi-faceted in that specific sense, simply because Irish does not easily translate into other dance forms. There are, of course, exceptions.
However, some Irish dance schools may use rented space in dance academies if they don't have a studio of their own. If you are uncertain or without many options, look for ads in generic dance schools that mention "Irish", "Celtic" or "Irish tap"* in the list, but take into consideration that you are still not eliminating the potential of false advertising. Why? There is a big risk in going to a generic academy, especially one listing "Celtic" in their resume. In order to prevent yourself falling prey to one of the numerous knock-off Irish step dancing classes that are, unfortunately, quite popular, you need to ask questions:
1.) Ask who is teaching the Irish (or "Celtic") dance and if they are employed by the advertising dance school.
2.) If the teacher is part of the school, ask if the teacher is certified to teach traditional Irish step dance. Ask if he or she has receive his or her TCRG. If the person whom you are questioning doesn’t know, leave a message for the teacher. This is important information that authentic Irish dance teachers would give out without question. And they’d all know what it means if asked.
3.) If the teacher is not part of the school, ask what school the lessons are with and if that school is registered (often, schools renting space from other places will be rather new and may not be certified yet, so ask for the teacher’s credentials--a TCRG is not important if the dance teacher has years of experience and you aren't interested in competing). If the school the teacher is with has Irish dance in the title or is distinctly Irish-sounding, chances are, it’s safe to pursue.
First, buy a bag with a nice strap (padded is best), a good zipper and several pockets. Inside of that, put:
Band-Aids/plasters Moleskin or other blister prevention items (Blister Relief is amazing) Ace bandages (one will suffice) Pain cream/medicine (Icy Hot works well for some people, not well for others) Medical tape (good for toes) Pen/pencil and some paper (for taking notes of new steps or directions for a show or competition, amongst other things) Jazz shoes/sneakers/lyrical ghillies, black ballet slippers (these act as back-ups or for beginners, your first shoes) Ghillies or reel shoes (ghillies for girls, reel shoes for boys) Hardshoes Elastics (not for your hair: these black headband-sized simple elastics help keep hardshoes secure) Socks/poodle socks Sock glue Spare clothes Tights Bobby pins Hair ties Water bottle Simple snack Extra change or a couple dollars Obviously, not all of this will be needed for your first few months, or even until you compete or perform. But most dancers will have these items in their bag at some point, though not necessarily all at once. This excludes competition necessities.
Remember that it is doubtful you will have official Irish dance shoes on your first day, or even first week. Hardshoe always begins later than softshoe, sometimes by a year.
On the first day, I was in a class of Beginners between the ages of twelve and forty. The school was just expanding to my city from the tiny location it started at ten years earlier, so there weren’t many beginners and my ‘age group’ and level (all of the classes were beginners) were divided into two classes, each between eight and ten people. This won’t likely happen for most people, and later, with more people, my age group was narrowed down and adults got their own class.
Now, the first thing we did was give our street shoe sizes and order softshoes. This is a normal procedure for many schools, because most don’t actively stock shoes or live in a city where there is a retailer (often they are ordered straight out of Ireland or England). How long it takes for the shoes to arrive depends on the availability and exactly where they are being shipped from (then they arrived, we did a series of fittings to make sure our sizes were correct).
Once sizes are taken, we started on basic movements, which is universal. Hops, threes and sevens are going to be the first item tackled, and if you’re really good, you’ll even learn a lead round of the basic reel. The beginner reel is generally the same with every school, and combines a circle of eight threes and a side down of sevens.
All Irish dances take off from the hops, threes and sevens, so mastering them is the most important step. Threes are perhaps the most complicated when you first learn them, but with practice they evolve into hanging leaps (birds) and define champion dancers.
Stretching was more heavily focused in the first year because we were all utterly inflexible. Turn out becomes the focus and touching toes becomes a goal. It may be boring, but sometimes more than half the class can be dedicated to stretching in the early stages (that’s why it’s a good idea to stretch at home so you don’t need to spend extra time beyond a solid fifteen minutes learning to touch your toes again).
Depending on the school and the progress of other students in your class, you may learn all of your softshoe steps anywhere between one month and six. Hardshoe is generally introduced once you are familiar enough with softshoe. This may be anywhere from two or three months to a year. Younger kids may have to wait longer.
2.) Shoes
SOFTSHOES, also known as ghillies, gillies, pumps, lights or reel shoes, if you’re a boy, they are the first type of shoe you will receive as a dancer. Usually imported from Ireland or England, you will often order them online or through your dance school. Boys wear a jazz shoe-like softshoe with a heel (like a hardshoe) attached. They are called reel shoes. Girls wear a more open-looking and intricately laced version of a lyrical or Highland ghillie.
They are often compared to ballet slippers, but having worn both I feel that is an unfair comparison. Ghillies have a harder sole, usually made of thick leather, and have long, looping and cris-crossing laces. They are open nearly down to the toes and lace up the middle, and are always made from thick, black leather (though some are white for dying—these are usually only used in dance dramas). Often, it takes a dozen or more proper dance lessons to wear them in.
Reel shoes are often more flexible when received, except for a few new designs that are made from tougher leather (almost like a hardshoe without the front tip). They lace up like a tap or hardshoe, and from a distance are indistinguishable from either. Boys’ steps require hitting the heels for kicks and various leaps. These are required as they progress.
Softshoes are always worn in smaller sizes. If your American shoe size was a seven, you would go for a ghillie between UK sizes two and four, but no larger (a four is about one street size smaller than an American seven). Different feet adjust in different ways, but ghillies stretch. However, at first the smaller size will seem like a punishment—they really do hurt.
Below is a simple size chart for basic conversions:
| Size in American | Size in UK/Irish |
| 10 | 8 |
| 9 | 7 |
| 8 | 6 |
| 7 | 5 |
| 6 | 4 |
| 5 | 3 |
| 4 | 2 |
When trying on ghillies, make sure there is no sagging in the toe or heel—if there is, they’re too big. As I said before, ghillies stretch. It’s not unusual to go through a pair or two a year due to stretching or other wear and tear. You want form-fitting shoes! A buckling big toe, however, is not the way to go. Try them on while you are wearing thicker socks (poodle socks are preferable).
When you tie your ghillies, because the laces are so long, they will often need to be wound around your arches or ankles. Neatness is key, however, and most dancers (and teachers, as well as adjudicators) prefer you wrap the excess laces around your arch. This can actually damage the foot, so don’t tie them too tightly—and if the laces are causing problems, stop tying them that way immediately. (The ultimate point with the laces is to keep them almost invisible while dancing.)
When buying shoes, remember that general dance supply stores won’t carry proper ghillies or hardshoes unless there is a local demand and they are specifically asked, so don’t check there. They’ll likely give you lyrical ghillies, and until you see the real Irish ghillie in person, lyricals will probably look the same. Don’t be fooled, however—they’re not the same at all (even if the box says Irish or Celtic).
A popular brand for Irish dance shoes is Antonio Pacelli. Don’t let the name fool you; they know their Irish dance shoes! That site is a good approximation for how much your shoes will cost. Hardshoes cost about two or three times more than softshoes.
Other brands include Rutherford, InishFree and Hullachan Pros.
HARDSHOES, jig shoes or heavies are worn by both male and female dancers after they have mastered softshoe dances. They are not like tap shoes in any way, so do not buy them, even for practice. Using tap shoes to familiarize yourself with hardshoe steps will only confuse you and set you back when you receive proper shoes.
The first difference is in the anatomy: hardshoes have a thick, steep heel and a thick, graduated tip made of wood, plastic or fiberglass. There are no metal taps and any use of metal taps is forbidden by An Coimisiun rules. The heavier materials used actually make a better, fuller sound.
Hardshoe dances are danced primarily on the toes, though you’d never realize it. Heels are kept off the ground unless a step or movement requires it. Usually heel clicks are the main purpose. Bubble heels, which are no longer manufactured, were forbidden—they made the heel wider and easier to hit. Good for dancers with poor turn out, bad for dancers who cheat.
Hardshoes buckle across the ankle and tie up the center. They have no supporting arch so they often make the wearer feel the need to walk "duck-footed" because of the angle the toes are turned at over the tip. Some varieties have shanks, but those shanks are broken immediately—flexible hardshoes are important for toe stands and pointing the feet cleanly.
Fitting hardshoes is more akin to fitting street shoes because they don’t stretch in the same way, so you want a comfortable fit, not a tight one, when you try them on. Some dancers wear elastics to keep them more snug and to secure the laces.
Decorative buckles are an optional feature but many champion dancers wear them to draw attention to their feet.
POODLE SOCKS are worn by females only. They are so-named because of the textured fabric that, apparently, makes them look like the texture of poodle fur. That fabric, however, is designed to keep the sock up better than ordinary socks. No poodle sock stays up that well, though, so SOCK GLUE was invented to keep them stuck to your skin. Poodle socks are generally worn just a couple inches below the knee.
They can be purchased at any place selling Irish dance shoes, but most are acquired at feiseanna (competitions). Because they’re fairly cheap, some dancers have a dozen or more pairs (they wear out quickly if you wear them a lot).
TIGHTS, usually black, are also popular, and different schools require different brands or thicknesses, so it’s not save to rely on a website like mine for that information—ask your teacher.
3.) Costumes
A SCHOOL COSTUME is usually provided for both boys and girls, and in some cases, different levels. The intricacy of the costume varies drastically between schools, and all schools have a different style. From a simple skirt and white blouse, to a pleaded dress with machine-sewn knotwork, almost anything goes.
School costumes are worn in lower levels during competition, and by Novice, many dancers opt to get their own solo costumes. But for the first levels, and always for figure/team dances, these uniforms are the only thing you wear.
There are many different ways that school costumes are issues—some students actually purchase them, while most students rent. Boys usually have to buy their own shirts or slacks, and have some sort of recognizable school piece that is included in the entire uniform (shirt color or a cummerbund are the most common aspects that the school controls).
SOLO COSTUMES are a sign of great achievement and are frequently purchased once a dancer is well into the Novice level, but higher levels are usually more common. Solo costumes help each dancer stand out in a competition that often includes thirty or more dancers.
For girls, the dress is usually very, very expensive and incorporates as many Irish dance trends (because there are a ton of those) as possible. Heavy velvet and light satin are popular base materials, with sequins or rhinestones adorning various custom-made patterns. The dress has stiff panels and there is usually a crown or tiara to match. They vary so much that it is impossible to include any more information.
Boys have a bit less variety. They often wear black shirts and slacks and a nice tie or cummerbund, sometimes both. A trend of the past that should be rekindled was that of a velvet jacket, tie, white shirt, plain kilt, and high socks that match the color of the jacket.
Many rules have been laid down about competition-appropriate costumes. The "princess style" that Riverdance made popular for performances is not allowed in competition. Skirts cannot be higher than four inches above the knee, but many dancers (taller ones, especially) evade this rule.
4.) Costume Care
To keep these expensive and gorgeous costumes looking their best, always make sure to follow these simple tips:
Sit on a stool that is high above the ground so the skirt can hang off the edges. This not only prevents the dress from brushing the floor and getting dirty, but it saves the fabric from wrinkling. SO DON’T LEAN BACK. Wear it only when you must! Don't eat messy foods or drink colored or sticky liquids while you are wearing it. Always have your dress in a protective bag when away from home. Never check your solo dress if you are flying. No matter what the flight attendants may say, it is not at all suitable for an $800 dress to be shipped in cargo. Store flat before a feis or a performance to keep it in top condition. Placing it under your mattress is a good idea. If it has panels, put a heavy object on it to keep those panels stiff. Air it out before and after every feis or show by hanging it near an open window. Use a bit of fabric freshener to take out any distinct smells if you can’t get to a dry cleaner before using the costume again. So, yes, always dry clean your costume. Follow any instructions you were given when you purchased or borrowed the dress. If there aren’t any, fill in the cleaner what material is in the dress so they know how to handle it. If possible, put sweat guards in the arm pits to help with odor. These can be purchased at most fabric stores and are removed after every use. But because they stick into the dress, it’s best to ask permission if you use them in a costume that’s not your own.
For shoes, you should always polish any visibly worn areas before a feis or show. Broken heels and tips can be repared, but it is recommended that you buy new ones if that happens because the repairs are often quite expensive.