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Irish stepdance is a style of performance dance with its roots in traditional Irish dance. It is generally characterized by a stiff upper body and the quick and precise movements of the feet. It can be performed solo or by groups. Irish stepdance is performed in most places with large Irish populations, though many stepdancers are not of Irish ancestry. Aside from public dance performances, there are also stepdance competitions all over the world. Costumes are considered important for stage presence in competition and performance Irish stepdance. Riverdance, an Irish stepdancing interval act in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, greatly contributed to its popularity. Two types of shoes are worn; hard shoes, which make sounds similar to tap shoes, and soft shoes, which are similar to ballet slippers. The dances for soft shoe and hard shoe are generally different, though they share basic moves and rhythms. Most competitive stepdances are solo dances, though many stepdancers also perform and compete in traditional set and céilí dances. Competition is organized by several organizations, and there are competitions from the local level to world championships. ==Roots== The dancing traditions of Ireland are likely to have grown in tandem with Irish traditional music. Its first roots may have been in Pre-Christian Ireland, but Irish dance was also partially influenced by dance forms on the Continent, especially the quadrille dances. Traveling dancing masters taught all over Ireland beginning around the 1750s and continuing as late as the early 1900s. Professor Margaret Scanlan, author of ''Culture and customs of Ireland'', points out that the earliest ''feis'' or stepdancing competition dates no earlier than 1897, and states: "Although the ''feis'' rhetoric suggests that the rules (international stepdancing competitions ) derive from an ancient past, set dances are a product of modern times".〔Scanlan, 2006: p. 162.〕 There are many styles of stepdancing in Ireland (such as the Connemara style stepdancing), but the style most familiar is the Munster, or southern, form, which has been formalised by (English: The Gaelic Dancing Commission), which first met in 1930. The Commission (abbreviated as CLRG), was formed from a directorate of the Gaelic League that was formed during the Gaelic Revival and agreed the modern rules. In the 19th century, the Irish diaspora had spread Irish dance all over the world, especially to North America and Australia. However, schools and ''feiseanna'' were not established until the early 1900s: in America these tended to be created within Irish-American urban communities, notably in Chicago. The first classes in stepdancing were held there by the Philadelphia-born John McNamara.〔Long, Lucy. "Irish Dance" in ''The American Midwest: an interpretive encyclopedia'': p. 389〕 According to the BBC's ''A Short History of Irish Dance'', "The nature of the Irish dance tradition has changed and adapted over the centuries to accommodate and reflect changing populations and the fusion of new cultures. The history of Irish dancing is as a result a fascinating one. The popular Irish dance stage shows of the past ten years have reinvigorated this cultural art, and today Irish dancing is healthy, vibrant, and enjoyed by people across the globe."〔"A Short History of Irish Dance." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 25 Feb 2013. One explanation for the unique habit of keeping the hands and upper body stiff relates to the stage. To get a hard surface to dance on, people would often unhinge doors and lay them on the ground. Since this was clearly a very small "stage," there was no room for arm movement. The solo dances are characterised by quick, intricate movements of the feet. Sometime in that decade or the one following, a dance teacher had his students compete with arms held firmly down to their sides, hands in fists, to call more attention to the intricacy of the steps. The adjudicator approved by placing the students well. Other teachers and dancers quickly followed the new trend. Movement of the arms is sometimes incorporated into modern Irish stepdance, although this is generally seen as a hybrid and non-traditional addition and is only done in shows and performances, not competitions. Irish stepdance has precise rules about what one may and may not do, but within these rules leeway is provided for innovation and variety. Thus, stepdance can evolve while still remaining confined within the original rules. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Irish stepdance」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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