Irish jig & reel

Connector

•Watch the video

•Write down as many facts about Ireland as you can

•http://www.discoverireland.com/gb/about-ireland/

Where does it come from?

Irish Jig & Reel

• Folk dance has been present in Ireland for centuries (influenced by Celtic, Viking & Norman invaders). Dances would be social and performed in groups.

• Today's Irish social dances are called céilí dances. The term céilí is used to describe a social gathering with dance and music.

• Performance dance in Ireland is different to social dance in that it is performed to an audience and can be danced solo. Developed in Ireland, mid-18th century by the dance masters - highly respected dancers who travelled from village to village, teaching dances to local people.

• The tradition lasted until the early 20th century – by then the dance masters had embellished, refined and standardised many dance steps and dances. During this period the dance masters created the performance dance known today as step dance.

Where does it come from?

Irish Jig & Reel

• Step dance was greatly popularised by the theatrical show Riverdance. This was first performed during the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, which drew international attention to Irish dancing.

•In 1995 the Riverdance show opened in Dublin and has since travelled throughout Europe and to New York.

Where does it come from?

• The reel & jig are both types of traditional Irish dance. In step dance, the reel is usually danced with soft shoes (like ballet shoes).

• There are different forms of the jig: the slip jig, light jig and single jig are danced in soft shoes, while the hard jig is danced in hard shoes (like tap shoes).

Irish Jig & Reel

Features of the Dance

In step dance the most important

aspect is the intricate footwork.

Dancers keep their upper body straight and

unmoving – arms hang down either

side.

Movement from the upper body is

limited.

Dancers often stand in a line, all

facing the audience.

Fast, energetic steps.

Dance steps include step, hop, kick,

jump and crossing of the legs.

Irish Jig & Reel

Both are lively dance styles, with the main difference between them being the metre:

What is the difference between a jig and a reel?

The reel is in simple time

The jig is in compound time

Irish Jig & Reel

Features of the Music in the Jig &

the Reel

Fast, constant quaver

movement. Some longer or shorter

notes do get thrown in (crotchets,

triplets, semiquavers, etc.)

Lively rhythm of the music reflected in the lively dance

steps.Melody mostly moves in small

intervals –lots of 2nds & 3rds.

Other commonly used intervals are

4ths & 5ths which give the music a traditional Irish

feel.Fast tempo.

Almost all reels have a feel of 2 in a bar (in 4/4, 1st & 3rd beats accented. The same is true of

all jigs in 6/8.

Light, bouncy feel to the music,

reflected in leaps, hops & jumps in the

dance.

Binary form (AB) – each section lasts for 8 bars. Both sections usually

repeated (AABB).Ornamentation in the melody (added by the performer rather than the

composer).

Major or minor key (some modal & pentatonic pieces).

Unaccompanied solo melody (some ensembles perform the music with an accompaniment).

Tin whistle

Irish Jig & Reel

Instruments used in both the Jig & Reel:

Flute

Uilleann pipes

Violin (fiddle)

BodhranAccordion

Irish Jig & Reel

Listen to this traditional Irish reel and then annotate your own score, identifying key features of an Irish reel.

Review

Test Yourself!

• What is a céilí dance?

• Which international TV event made Riverdance famous?

• What are features of the Irish step dance?

• How are the steps reflected in the music?

• What is the difference between a reel and a jig?

• What musical features do the reel and the jig share?

• What instruments are used in traditional Irish music?

Irish Jig & Reel

More videos demonstrating Irish Jigs & Reels:

Trinity Irish Dance Company

Winning Set Dance – Europeans Wida Dance Championships

River Dance