Irish Dancing at St Patrick’s Day in London
I was meant to write about the awesome achievements of the winter Paralympics. But, the Irish dancing that I saw today captivated me. Many of them are representing London at the World Irish Dancing Championships, so that had to be told too. See the pics and watch some short videos below.
Have you attended any of the St Pat’s celebrations around the world? What did you like the most?
I think we are all familiar with the story of St Patrick. Today’s event was held in Trafalgar Square, were a huge stage and tents in and around the square were set up. Security was tight at the two main entrances. The atmosphere in and around the square was great. Many groups of people dressed up for the occasion.
Some of these tents showcased Irish products, others aimed at raising awareness of other aspects of the Irish culture, such as comedy and dance. At the Irish Dance Tent I could see some of the numbers that are going to be performed at the World Irish Dance Championships in April, representing London, as well as some traditional Irish dances.
The dresses are beautiful. The dancers wearing black were from Jig in Dublin, who keep alive this tradition. You should check them out.
The ages ranged from barely toddlers to teenagers, and some of them had a disability. The boy with a disability dancing – that was beautiful. All of it was indeed beautiful.
Their posture is amazing. They’d only move the lower part of their bodies. As with ballet and figure skating, the most important part is their feet. In fact, they sometimes wore ballet shoes with a hard end and, sometimes, claque style shoes, as in the video below.
I noticed that males and females performed separately most of the time.
The audience also got involved in the event by dancing Ceili. Ceili dance is one of the most traditional Irish dances – and I got to dance with one of the dancers from Jig, which was so much fun. There were two circles where dancers danced in couples.
Look at their feet!
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Thank you for reading my post.
A Londoner from Afar
Lovely piece but one major mistake; it’s not a “Kelly” dance – it’s a “Ceili” dance (pronounced Kay-lee). Glad you were captivated!
Correction made! Thanks for reading and for letting me know. What do you like the most and the least about St Patrick’s Day?
It looks like you had a great time. There feet move so fast it is amazing.
I didn’t know those dresses were part of the tradition. Interesting tidbits. Were you actually there?
Yes, I was. I took the pictures myself. Thank for reading!