Dancing comes in many genres and most of them go way back centuries ago.
One of these dances is the Irish Dance.
From the name itself, Irish dance originated in Ireland and since then, it evolved from a traditional dance form to the structured style that we know.
Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, Irish step dancing became more competitive which led to it being called the “Irish dance.”
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the dance gained popularity all over the world through amazing performances like the Riverdance.
Do you still remember Jean Butler and Michael Flatley’s Riverdance performance in 1994?
It’s almost safe to say that the said performance made a huge impact in introducing Irish dancing to the whole world.
Competitive Irish dance, known for its elaborate costumes and strict rules, includes the prestigious World Irish Dance Championships.
Today, Irish dance is a vibrant and evolving art form, blending traditional and contemporary influences, and remains a vital part of Irish culture, celebrated worldwide, especially on St. Patrick’s Day.
Hard shoe dancing.
This dance is very close to tap dancing or clogging as all three dances incorporate their moves by hitting the ground using the feet.
The only notable difference between these dances is that each uses different shoes and the steps are actually all their own.
Typically, hard shoe dancing comes with tons of floor stomping to create that resounding ground shake.
Each stomp must be precise and powerful because producing a series of beats is not as easy as it sounds.
But with so much passion and dedication to the art, pulling off a hard shoe routine isn’t impossible at all.
Just look at this group of talented young boys and girls from the Maguire Academy in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Wearing all black, all 9 of them amazed everyone watching with their amazing acapella hard shoe performance.
Hear the drums beating off the ground.
There were 9 of them but it sounded like there was only one person performing.
The synchronization was the best and literally nobody missed or skipped a beat.
The sound that they managed to produce resonated within the corners of the theatre.
Not only that, it was also accompanied by some hand movements and claps that reached through the ceiling and beyond.
And notice how all of them kept their hands on the side?
Because it’s believed that back when this dance became popular, it was often performed in small spaces.
Hard shoe dance requires a level of discipline and character.
With eyes closed, you’d think there’s a marching band performing.
The intensity and volume produced by their feet were beyond normal.
These amazing dancers from the Maguire Academy were not messing around with their routine, they started and finished it strong.
Both live and online audiences were astounded by the performance.
One online viewer wrote in the comment, “I think Irish dances is one of the most beautiful dancing styles, to me. I just can stop watching these amazing performances.”
Another one wrote, “Real proof you don’t need fancy lights, sound effects and what not for a powerful performance. Especially loved the advance towards the front of the stage from 0:24 . And darn… I know how hard this is! (I’m a Commission dancer for 10 years now, but nowhere near this level) You all did extremely well!”
I couldn’t agree more. These young dancers were truly amazing!
Don’t miss their performance, watch the video below.
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