Irish Set Dance Ceili
Set dancing is probably Ireland’s most popular form of traditional dance, and can be enjoyed all around the world.
Traditional Irish dancing is well known around the world thanks to the success of Riverdance and other shows featuring amazing displays of solo step dancing.
Quite different from step dancing is set dancing, which is the type of traditional social dancing done strictly for pleasure in rural communities in Ireland for a couple hundred years or more.
‘Sets’ came from quadrilles, the eighteenth and nineteenth century court dances of France which spread across Europe. The Irish learned the quadrilles from British landlords and soldiers and took them home to their cottages where they became the uniquely Irish sets when traditional music and steps were applied to them.
Four couples arrange themselves in a square to dance—the term ‘set’ refers both to the eight people in formation and to the dance itself. When the music begins they dance a variety of intricate moves and steps. One set can last from ten minutes to half an hour. The dancing is divided into separate sections called figures—when a figure is finished the music stops and the dancers remain in place waiting for it to resume. A set usually has from three to six figures, each one different but always danced in the same sequence. After the last figure the dancers thank one another and leave the floor.
For more information, please see the link below: