I have 2 daughters—both red heads—and both Irish Dancers in training. I don’t know about all Irish dance schools, but in the one my children attend, the first dance they learn is the Traditional Irish Jig. The dance has 5 “steps” (which each step breaking down into a series of steps, repeated on both right and left leg). It can take a new dancer (especially if she is very young, like my Lil’ G) a year or more to master this first dance. I think though, that like riding a bike, once you learn the jig, you’ll know how to do it forever. For more about the Beginner’s Jig, see THIS post from a 2011 day of All Things Irish.
And speaking of Lil’ G, I think she’s finally catching on…the other day I overheard her teaching her Lalaloopsy doll how to do the first step of the jig. “Jump over, jump lift, jump back, 1-2-3-4.”
And now for some fun, last year talk show host Ellen hosted an “Irish Dance Dare” and some girls from my daughters’ Irish Dance school decided they were up to the challenge: here they are jigging their way through the aisles of the circle store.
And to shake things up a bit, here’s another video of Miss A’s dance school from a feis (that’s a dance competition, pronounced “fesh”). For more information on what a feis is, check out THIS POST from a previous 17 Days of All Things Irish.
Video Credit: Rick DeSalvo of RCD Media
Still hungry for more jigs? Watch the movie: JIG, a documentary that takes a look at the fierce, glittery world of competitive Irish Dance. (Bonus! If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can watch it for free!)
Melonie Johnson 