Page 19 - life-in-naples-march-2016

was related to limited hard surfaces and space. People
removed their door from the hinges using the door as
the dance floor.
The actual step dance is specific to each school or
dance instructor. Each dance is built out of the same
basic elements, but the dance itself is unique. The
performance dance is generally characterized by a
stiff upper body and quick precise movements of the
feet. Two types of shoes are worn, hard shoes, which
make sounds like a tap shoe, and soft shoes, which are
similar to ballet slippers. The dances for soft shoe and
hard shoes are generally different, though they share
basic moves and rhythms.
My Naples resources on Irish Dancing are
Michael O’Hare, owner of Flanagan-O’Hare School
of Irish Dance and Catherine Gorman, owner of
Celtic Spirit School of Dance. Both agree that Irish
Dancing is for people of all ages, the dance form is
modified to accommodate the age and abilities of
their students, which range from 4 to 80. The younger
students are able to start lessons when they can
count to ten and their goal is usually competitions.
Students who begin as an adult are generally involved
in team dancing (ceili) and enjoy the socialization
and exercise. The adult dancers have less hopping and
jumping in their routines.
Students begin with warm up exercises, basic steps and positions and
what’s called “7s.” After that, the dancers learn one step at a time and add
to that once they mastered each step along the way. Dancers build off
of those steps and move towards more advanced steps using both hard
and soft shoes. Steps are taught and mastered according to level as well
as age. The need for a uniform varies between schools and a student may
dance for months before there is any consideration given
to purchasing shoes or parts of a costume.
Certified schools often believe dancers should
earn their costumes based on their practice and
performance. Not all schools mandate costumes
as they are costly and the family budget is
respected. Dancers start with weekly lessons
which increases to two, it is advised that students
have at least one hour of home practice between
lessons. This dance art is taught over several
years in order to become a dance master, which is
generally after five years of instruction.
Step dancing requires stamina and classes
are taught in a way to develop and maintain that
stamina through warm up and drill exercises.
Many students are also athletes but they do have
to protect ankles and feet so that they can continue
this dance art. Shoes and costumes are expensive so only those who are
dedicated make major commitments. Soft shoes (ghillies) are at least $50
while hard shoes are upwards of $125 to $200. It is possible to find gently
used shoes which are considerably less costly. Costumes are made in many
places but most are imported from Ireland or England and range from
$500 to $3,000. Most dancers start with a school costumes and outfits and
then earn school dresses. Once a dancer reaches a certain level, she can also
earn a solo dress. These are the most expensive and intricate dresses. Male
dancers usually wear simple shirts, black pants and ties. If this has piqued
your interest contact Catherine Gorman at 239.272.8791 or Michael
O’Hare at 239.961.0610 regarding this great form of exercise and dance art.