Irish Dancing 101

1. Irish Dancing 101
By Maggie Strasser

2. What is Irish
Dancing?

3. The History

4. Irish dancers are known for their
big curly wigs and extravagant
costumes. Both of these features
come from irish dancing
beginning as a tradition after
Sunday Mass.

5. The families would take down
their wooden doors, and the
girls would dance in their
Sunday mass dresses
(extravagant dresses) and curly
hair that was done nicely for
mass.

7. The Current World of
Irish Dance

8. Local competitions are called Feis
(pronounced Fesh). These Fessianna
(plural) are held in a subjective region.
At these competitions, a dancer can
qualify to compete in a regional
championship by winning their age
group’s competition.
Local Competitions

9. Once a dancer begins competing in the
Regional Championship, called the
Oireachtas (Irish for Championship),
they have the chance to qualify for the
National Championship, and then
World Championship. The World
Championships are held all over the
world, and the location changes each
year. This year, they will be held in
Dublin, Ireland.
Regional, National, World Championships

10. The World Championships

11. Works Cited
All photos are mine