Competitive Irish Dance

Competitive Irish Dance PDF Author: Frank Hall
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
What happens when you put an expressive form in a competitive frame? This question motivates Frank Hall's study of competitive Irish stepdancing. He examines this dance tradition--from the organization of competitions to the movement of dancers' bodies--in relation to themes of authority, authenticity, and control. Irish stepdancing, known for many decades primarily in ethnic enclaves, expanded tremendously as Riverdance and other shows took this dance form to new performance contexts on the world stage. In describing and analyzing the history and development of competitive stepdancing in Ireland, the United States, and beyond, Hall reveals the issues, forces, and values that entwine all participants, including competition organizers, judges, dancers, parents, and teachers. Investigating the process of teaching and learning the movement and analyzing its stage performance, he elucidates the syntactic and semantic dimensions of Irish dancing as a body language.

Competitive Irish Dance

Competitive Irish Dance PDF Author: Frank Hall
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 172

Get Book Here

Book Description
What happens when you put an expressive form in a competitive frame? This question motivates Frank Hall's study of competitive Irish stepdancing. He examines this dance tradition--from the organization of competitions to the movement of dancers' bodies--in relation to themes of authority, authenticity, and control. Irish stepdancing, known for many decades primarily in ethnic enclaves, expanded tremendously as Riverdance and other shows took this dance form to new performance contexts on the world stage. In describing and analyzing the history and development of competitive stepdancing in Ireland, the United States, and beyond, Hall reveals the issues, forces, and values that entwine all participants, including competition organizers, judges, dancers, parents, and teachers. Investigating the process of teaching and learning the movement and analyzing its stage performance, he elucidates the syntactic and semantic dimensions of Irish dancing as a body language.

Grace's Irish Dance Feis Survival Guide

Grace's Irish Dance Feis Survival Guide PDF Author: Julie McGann
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781733082112
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
When Grace steps onto the small black wooden stage, a moment of panic hits her like a bolt of lightning! Grace is a nine-year-old Irish dancer who loves to dance but is super scared to compete at a Feis, which is just a fancy word for an Irish dance competition. When her sister suggests turning her worries into sillies, Grace not only finds a way to help herself, but also every other dancer in the world through the weird advice in her Irish dance survival guide.

Complete Irish Dancer: Optimization of Health and Performance in Irish Dancers

Complete Irish Dancer: Optimization of Health and Performance in Irish Dancers PDF Author: Roisin Cahalan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781536173895
Category : Dancers
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Irish dancing has emerged as a leading genre among the pantheon of world dance forms. Few traditional art forms have resonated so deeply with the international community, resulting in the establishment of thousands of Irish dancing schools across the globe. Irish dancing is a unique fusion of the athletic and the aesthetic, stylistically distinctive and constantly evolving. At the elite level, it is a hugely competitive activity, placing enormous physical and psychological demands on the dancer, teacher, parent and healthcare professional. The exponential increase in these demands and the relentless calendar of prestigious Irish dancing competitions internationally has resulted in significant levels of injury and underperformance in these dancer athletes. Unlike other more established dance forms such as ballet and contemporary dance, there is a lack of clear information and guidance related to the specific nature and demands of Irish dancing. This book will provide this information and guidance by drawing on best evidence and research-based findings and expertise from leading authorities in the world of dance science and anthropology, sport science, medicine, dietetics and psychology. The book is edited and co-authored by Dr. Róisín Cahalan, who is the world's leading researcher of injury in Irish dancers. Dr. Cahalan is also a chartered physiotherapist with over a decade of experience treating Irish dancers of all levels, the former lead female dancer from "Riverdance: The Show" and an Irish dancing teacher and adjudicator with An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha. The book will provide historical context for the growth and development of Irish dancing, insights into the etiology and epidemiology of Irish dance injury, and provide information and advice on appropriate preparation and environmental considerations for healthy Irish dancers. Chapters to enhance physical and psychological resilience and preparedness for the very specific demands of Irish dancing are presented. These include bespoke strength, conditioning and flexibility programs, goal-setting, managing competition anxiety, mental imagery and mindfulness, and sleep optimization. Appropriate training load prescription, tapering and the balance between rest and rehearsal will be explored, as will the most suitable diet to support the Irish dancer. Injury prevention, risk minimization and management are additionally discussed in the book. There is consideration given to the specific needs of certain dancer groups, such as the elite adolescent Irish dancer, the professional touring dancer, and the older dancer. The pivotal role of the parent in impacting the health and performance of the younger dancer is also explored. This book will be an invaluable resource to all those persons involved in the management of Irish dancers including teachers, parents, choreographers, dance company managers, strength and conditioning personnel, clinical professionals and dancers themselves. It will provide scientifically robust, but practical and applicable advice and information to ensure longevity, peak-performance and holistic wellbeing in Irish dancers.

The Story of Irish Dance

The Story of Irish Dance PDF Author: Helen Brennan
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1589790030
Category : Dance
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
The international success of Riverdance has focused new attention on Irish dance, which is the subject of this first history of what has become an international cultural phenomenon. Tracing the origins of dance back to early medieval accounts, this volume also charts the developments of the 18th century, exploring how dance played a vital role in the formation of a new national culture.

Flying Feet

Flying Feet PDF Author: Anna Burgard
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
Based on a true tale, two master dancers compete for the chance to teach the people of Ballyconneely, Ireland, how to dance.

Dancing Minds

Dancing Minds PDF Author: Consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology Sean Connolly
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781542525619
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
Dancing Minds gives an insight into the level of mental strength required by those whose chosen passion in life is Irish step dance. In this book, Sean Connolly recounts the dancing tales of dancers and teachers from many regions throughout the world. He invites them to share their experiences, and the encounters are honest and refreshing. Each contributor adds their own colour and real-life experience of being an Irish dancer or teacher.The book also celebrates the many dancers who against all odds , have overcome many challenges and disabilities to achieve their dancing dreams. To be an Irish dancer , you need to develop physically , mentally, emotionally, socially and with a certain spirituality , if you want to last the pace. All dancers are on a journey, and the podium is but one destination- there are many views and encounters along the way.

The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Competition

The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Competition PDF Author: Sherril Dodds
Publisher:
ISBN: 0190639083
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 689

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Book Description
This Handbook asks how competition affects the presentation and experience of dance.

Lord of the Dance

Lord of the Dance PDF Author: Michael Flatley
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743293002
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 4

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Book Description
The international star and creator of "Lord of the Dance" and "Celtic Tiger" Irish step dancing shows pens a no-holds-barred autobiography that reveals the person, the passion, and the drama behind his astounding rise to stardom.

Lady of the Dance

Lady of the Dance PDF Author: Marie Duffy
Publisher: The O'Brien Press Ltd
ISBN: 1847179371
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 331

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Book Description
"Marie Duffy is one of the best choreographers in the world. She has been my dance master and right-hand person since 1996. She is like my twin sister. I will love her forever." – Michael Flatley Marie Duffy is the undisputed queen of Irish dancing: she has trained more world champions than any other teacher, and has been Michael Flatley's right-hand woman for twenty years. She works tirelessly to promote Irish dance and culture internationally. In this honest and entertaining book, Marie gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of professional Irish dance, and draws back the curtain on her own fascinating and inspiring life. Marie first gained recognition dancing on entertainment shows in the 1960s, and went on to become a hugely successful Irish dancing teacher. Watching the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest in her living room, Marie was filled with pride as she'd taught many of the dancers in the famous Riverdance interval act. Two years later, Marie received a phone call that transformed her life when Michael Flatley offered her a job on a new show he had devised. Lord of the Dance would go on to become a worldwide hit, beginning years of fruitful collaboration between Marie and Flatley. Sadly however, Marie's professional highs have been accompanied by many personal lows, including the loss of her mother (who didn't live to see her daughter's success) and first husband Ian, and being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. Marie had a mastectomy, but in the showbiz tradition of 'the show must go on' she went back to her work rehearsing the dance troupe.

Dancing at the Crossroads

Dancing at the Crossroads PDF Author: Helena Wulff
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 9781845455903
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
Dancing at the crossroads used to be young people ́s opportunity to meet and enjoy themselves on mild summer evenings in the countryside in Ireland - until this practice was banned by law, the Public Dance Halls Act in 1935. Now a key metaphor in Irish cultural and political life, ́dancing at the crossroads ́ also crystallizes the argument of this book: Irish dance, from Riverdance (the commercial show) and competitive dancing to dance theatre, conveys that Ireland is to be found in a crossroads situation with a firm base in a distinctly Irish tradition which is also becoming a prominent part of European modernity. Helena Wulff is Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at Stockholm University. Publications include Twenty Girls (Almqvist & Wiksell International, 1988), Ballet across Borders (Berg, 1998), Youth Cultures (co-edited with Vered Amit-Talai, Routledge, 1995), New Technologies at Work (co-edited with Christina Garsten, Berg, 2003). Her research focusses on dance, visual culture, and Ireland.