Set dance

Set dances, sometimes called "country sets", are a popular form of folk dancing in Ireland. Set dances are based on quadrilles. The latter were court dances which were transformed by the Irish into a unique folk dance of the Irish rural communities. A combination of Céilí dance and Rock and Roll in the 1950s caused the popularity set dances to fade. However, in the 1980s, a revival started and many sets that have not been done for forty years or more are being recovered and danced again.

The Set

To start, four couples are arranged in a square to dance with each couple being in the middle of the sides of the square. Both the eight dancers in the group and the dance itself are called a "set". The dance is a sequence of several dance figures, which usually have a common theme or structure. The figures usually begin and end with repeated parts that everyone dances, and then during the figure each couple or pair of couples will dance separately. In the set, the couple with their backs to the band are traditionally named "First Tops" with "Second Tops" facing them. The couple on First Tops left hand side is called "First Sides" with "Second Sides" facing. Usually the First Tops are the first to dance, with some sets having First Sides and then Second Tops going next and some having Second Tops and then the First Sides. Second Sides is almost always the last couple to dance, and is therefore a good place for beginners to start, as they get more time to watch the demonstrations of the figure that the other couples give.

Set dances from a particular region usually have similar elements. For instance, sets from the Connemara region (such as the "Connemara Reel Set", the "South Galway Reel Set" and the "Claddagh Set") have the First Sides on the right of the First Tops, and sets from the Clare region often involve footwork similar to Step Dance or Sean Nós called battering.

Set dance differs from square dance and round dance in that it does not require a caller: the sequence of figures is predefined by the name of the set. In Ireland it is traditional for dances to be uncalled - that is, done with no calling with all dancers already knowing the instructions for the set. However, in the rest of the world a caller is usually required to give instructions as the dance progresses, for those people who are not yet familiar with the set.

ee also

*List of Irish Set Dancing Champions
*The South Galway Set
*The Clare Set

References

* "Toss the Feathers - Irish Set Dancing" Pat Murphy, Mercier Press ISBN 1-85635-115-7
* "The Flowing Tide: More Irish Set Dancing" Pat Murphy, Mercier Press ISBN 1-85635-308-7
* "A Handbook of Irish Dances, 5. Edition", J. G. O' Keeffe, Art O' Brien, Gill & Son Ltd., (1934) [http://members.aon.at/irishdance/html/handbook_of_irish_dances.html]
* "The Story of Irish Dancing" Helen Brennan, Mount Eagle Publications Ltd., 1999 ISBN 0 86322 244 7

External links

* [http://www.setdancing.ie/ Set Dancing And Sean Nos Dancing website by Gerard Butler]
* [http://www.setdancingnews.net/ Set Dancing News]
* [http://www.setdanceteacher.co.uk// Study Notes for 80 Sets and 11 Figure Dances]
* [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cuchullain10+set+dance&search=Search Set Dancing Videos on YouTube]