Irish Dance Styles

How is dance influenced by other styles of dance and other people?

Many dances were influenced by other styles of dance and other people. Irish dance was one of the many dancing styles that was influenced by other people and different styles. The appearance of Irish dancers was influenced by the Celts. There Celtic designs are showcased on the dresses of these dancers. These designs are taken from the book of Kells. The designs can be extremely intricate. The actual dancing was largely influenced by the Munster style. In the old style of dancing, the Munster style, musicians played fast and dancers did all they could simply to keep up, their feet battering quickly. Of course the munster style in Irish dance has evolved into carefully placed

The stylistic alterations that ballet has undergone is many. When ballet was created it was much more of the Romantic style of the early to mid-19th century that was much softer and less studded with virtuosic jumps and turns. However the ballet quickly turned into the athleticism of Russian folk dances that had an influence on them. The music that a traditional ballet would be choreographed to is classical music. Today the music that ballet dancers dance to can vary. From Italian roots, ballets in France and Russia developed their own stylistic character. Dancing en Pointe (on toe) became popular during the early part of the nineteenth century, with women often performing in white, bell-like skirts that ended at the calf. Ballet was mostly influenced by Russian and Italian roots and it started in the court of French King Henry II and was created to entertain. Tap dance was also influenced by styles and people. The earliest tap dancing was among slave communities in the southern United States. The slaves started incorporating African dance movements with the idea of British clogging or Irish step dancing. Tap dance had other influences throughout the years. During the 1930s tap dance mixed with Lindy Hop. "Flying swing outs" and "flying circles" had tap footwork. In the 1950s Jazz music and tap