Irish Dance Papers

The quotes “For most people, social dancing begins in pleasure,” and “Of course, people sometimes feel pressure to dance in ways that are otherwise associated with pleasure; social dancing can serve many functions in a society,” from Chapter 4 of Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement (Jonas 2003), peaked interest in me when thinking of all the various dance forms that we have talked of in class and even those outside of class. One in particular that has interested me the most is swing dance. With family member involvement in the past and having multiple friends take part in the Swing Dance Club here on the Wayne State University Campus for pleasure, enjoyment and social interaction has made me want to go more in depth about it. With the help from academic sources and knowledge from class lectures I will be researching the history of swing dancing, the forms of swing dancing, and what gender roles take place within these movements.

Irish step dancing has existed since the 1700’s, over 300 years. Families in Ireland have passed down Irish step dance from generation to generation as a way of preserving their culture. While the meaning of the dance remains the same, the performance and showmanship has changed dramatically. From girls and boys with pale skin and natural hair to girls with fake tanned skin, huge curly wigs, and thousand dollar dresses and boys with fake tanned skin and outlandish outfits. Irish dance has become more of a spectacle—such as “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance.” Those dances are some of the most enjoyable and respected around the world. Over time this type of dance has taken on a life of its own and changed

I have been dancing since the age of two. When asked about my career aspirations, there is no hesitation before saying “I want to be a dancer.” Being a dancer means putting all other distractions aside, and focusing on my craft. Currently, I dedicate over forty hours a week to dance, which is a schedule that requires sacrifice. When I am dancing, the rest of the world fades away, slipping out of my mind with relaxed importance. For that moment in time, I am completely free, wholly focused on my goals, letting me know dance is what I’m meant to do. With this realization comes a responsibility to myself and the work I have put into improving my craft thus far, and I know I must seek out the best opportunities for growth and continued learning.

My love for music has always been coupled with an interest in dancing. At the age of four, I learnt to dance from Shakira; I watched her videos and imitated her till I felt like we were doing the same thing. I kept getting better, and soon, I would go to birthday parties just for the purpose of thrashing everyone else in dance competitions. My love for dance has only seemed to intensify over the years. Looking at me now, I still do almost the same thing: download dance videos and learn the choreographies.

I remember the time I started dancing like it was yesterday. I was in 7th grade when I first joined a dance team. Dance became important to my life, due to the fact that when I was younger I would constantly get hurt a lot by being bullied, and also had my parents fight all the time until they reached a point they wanted to get a divorce. I got tired of it , and I started looking for horrible ways to blow away the pain I felt inside, finally I found the appropriate way to do so. Dancing was the perfect way to escape from all the pain that was holding me down. I look back so many times to the day I first did a solo;It felt like the wind was blowing towards my face every pirouette I did. It felt like if I was a bird flying free in the sky. I

My mother once told me I was born to dance. Ballet, jazz, and hip hop nourished me from the time I was three years old. Whether helping my parents clean or walking in the grocery store, my feet sashayed beneath me to an unknown rhythm. Some of my earliest memories occur in a small studio in a converted barn, where I spent hours at the barre. Unlike performance schools depicted on reality television, my dance studio required less excessive makeup and more polished black leotards and pink tights (we did, however, have a fair share of screaming stage moms).

Another one of my passions is dance. Since the age of three I have been dancing. Whether it is on stage, at a competition, or just in front of my family, I found a love for this art. Around the age of thirteen I began student teaching; because of this, I found a liking for helping people become more confident in themselves and their dance technique. Not only did I learn to dance, but I also built confidence, learned great stage presence and to have respect for everyone. These are all lessons that will remain with me for life.

One of my first literacies I learned started as a simple extracurricular activity my mother put me in to keep me out of the house and out of her hair. I started learning a literacy of dance through taking classes. At three years old I start ballet and tap combo class, from there I continued taking more classes in different styles and taking more advanced classes. By dancing for 15 years I learned and acquired extensive knowledge of the art. I started to learn and take class at Marta Jackson School of dance, I continued my training for fifteen years, until my senior year of high school. I danced on my high school dance team, at other studios, in different local productions and even in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

On our final local community service day, we were primarily accompanied by the 2 of the more abled patients in Dover Hospice. Their positive energy illuminated the room, they were cheerful and entertaining as we folded paper flowers together. We even began singing songs in the midst of folding the paper flowers. Once we were completed, we attempted to brighten their day through distributing the papers flowers we made, and interacting with the patients.

The dancers in “Jack” had used pre recorded poetry while the two ladies of “Pat A Cake” relied only on what sounds they could make through stomping, clapping, snapping, as well as their own words. They had no other sound other than what they could create. This created an almost intimate atmosphere, and the distance between dancer and audience felt less because the normal “glam” that is used to separate those on stage from those in the house was gone.

I always knew that I was Irish. How could you not with the last name Murphy? Throughout the years I have been better able to understand my Irish culture through various life experiences including membership at the Gaelic American Club. These experiences have played important roles in the Irish Woman I am today.

Last winter I volunteered at a respite care center for children and adults with disabilities, the center enables expressive relief through music, art, and dance. This program is called Karina’s Cafe.

For this service learning project I choose to volunteer at a hospital. I went to St. Joe's Hospital on a floor called Select Specialty Hospital. On Select’s floor, they have patients that are in severe condition and most people that help out at that hospital cannot go on that floor. In my case, my mom works on that floor so I was able to be on the floor. For the first hour, some of the nurses and nurse aids gave me a tour around the floor. They showed me all of the different rooms, all the medical devices, medicine, and they answered any of my unsolved questions. After that, for the last 2 hours I went into patients rooms and took them their food. Then when they finished, I would take those empty trays to the kitchen, where I washed and refilled them with food. I admit that it was a challenge, but I did not regret a single bit of it because it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the people on that floor are unable to help themselves and if someone reached out to them with a kind gesture it would make their day. Personally, if I was in there position I would deeply appreciate it if someone took the time out of their day and helped someone out that they don’t know. It is easy to donate money to organizations that help people, but it’s different to actually get up and go help that person face to face instead of waiting for

In the process of this research, I discovered that Irish dancing not only plays a significant role in reshaping Irish national identity, but also affects families and dancers on a personal level, affecting self-perception and development. Each person interviewed has a personal story. The reasons people have connected to Irish dancing vary, based on cultural tradition, heritage, location, values, and personal goals.

‘Children’s ability and need to express feelings fully and freely with their bodies makes movement and dance a vital part of any educational program.’ (Cecil-Fizdale 1991 in The Arts and Early Childhood )