Traditional Irish Dance Trivia Quiz

Answer: Slip Jig and Reel

Yes, Slip Jigs and Reels are the main type of dances danced in soft shoes. When younger, dancers also dance single jigs and light jigs, but these are phased out as they grow older, so as to focus more on reels and slip jigs.

Answer: Beginner A, Beginner B, Second Grade, Pre-Open, Open

Yes, there are the five levels of Irish dancing. Generally, the numbers in Open are much smaller than, say in Beginner A, as many people lose interest and drop off on the way up. Competition is fierce, but friendly, and one of the great things about sticking it out until you're pre-open or open is that you tend to meet the same people all the time, and friendships spring up.

In provincial competitions, the three earlier grades are omitted, and in the All-Irelands, Open dances are the only ones competed.

Answer: Solo dress

Solo dresses can be made specifically for someone, and can also be purchased second hand. They tend to be quite expensive, costing between 900 and 1500 euros (depending on size and complexity) and tend to be between 400 and 600 second hand. The diversity they introduce to competitions makes them much more interesting to watch, and a lot of work goes into making the dresses specific to the individual. My dress, for example, is quite an unusual colour for a costume (gold) and reflects my love of Celtic design.

Answer: They are listed under girls' names, e.g. Gráinne, Máire, etc, and you can then choose your colour.

Ah, yes, the infamous wigs. They were originally introduced for seriously competitive dancers who would go to maybe a feis a week, who were finding that curling their hair constantly was damaging it. However, they caught on like wildfire, and now nearly every girl in a competition wears one, despite their fairly ridiculous appearance, and the discomfort of wearing them. I'm not sure why they're listed under girls' names either, but that's the way it is!

Answer: Feiseanna

At a higher level, when you are looking to graduate to national or international level, the competitions are generally referred to as Oireachtais. Comórtaisí merely means 'competitions' in Irish, and dancing competitions is how they tend to be referred to by outsiders! : )

Answer: With your feet turned out, one in front of the other.

Learning to keep your feet turned out while dancing is not a natural posture, and takes quite a lot of practice to master completely. Various exercises are used to perfect this, such as walking with your feet turned out, one behind the other, or dancing very slowly, concentrating very hard on the placement of the feet.

Answer: Down by your sides

While this may sound like the easiest of the four options, it is actually extremely difficult to keep your hands perfectly still by your side while all the rest of your body is moving. It takes quite a while to perfect, and many little tricks are used, including holding the back of your dress to keep arms straight, and holding a penny in each hand to keep the fists clenched (if you are using a style that calls for clenched fists rather than open hands).

Answer: Tap dance

The similarities between tap dance, and Irish heavy or 'batter' dances are easily seen. However, tap is more free form, without the strict structure of Irish dance, i.e. hand movements. Tap dance evolved in America from the Irish Dance brought over by many immigrants, particularly in the 19th century.

Answer: 1994

Yes, in 1994, "Riverdance" was performed as the interval show in Eurovision, which was staged in Ireland that year. Personally, I think it's the best thing ever to have come out of Eurovision, and it is certainly the one of the most famous! Michael Flatley and Jean Butler were the stars of the show, which has gone on to be a worldwide phenomenon, running for 13 years now non-stop, and has put Irish dancing on the worldstage.

However, one of the wonderful things about "Riverdance" is how it incorporates other styles of dance into the show, including Spanish Flamenco Dancing, and some ballet!

Answer: St. Patrick's Day

It is of course, the St. Patrick's Day, a lively traditional set dance which is beautiful when performed properly. As for the other three, St. Brigid's Cross and St. Brendan's Cross are both inventions of my own, while Brian Boru's sword is actually a type of figure dance (team dance). And of course, Brian Boru is not a saint!