Competitive Irish Dance: Art, Sport, Duty (review)

Frank Hall's book will appeal to a wide audience, including those interested in dance, anthropology, Cultural Studies, and Irish politics. Its style and content are not too technical for the reader unfamiliar with dance, though parts of chapters four and five contain meticulously detailed descriptions of dance steps that nonspecialists may wish to skip. The theoretical analyses of Irish dance as national symbol are also accessible to all readers, and free of the jargon saturation that characterizes many books in Cultural Studies.

Over the course of a year of study and attendance at Irish dance classes, performances, and competitions, the anthropologist Hall (who is also a dancer and musician) researched two questions: what happens to an expressive form when it is put into competition, and what happens to an expressive form when it is linked to national identity? His answers, and his means of finding them, are clear, well-researched, and well-theorized. Hall's style is readable and personable, although readers would probably appreciate more discussion of his personal interactions with teachers and students of Irish dance; his quotations of teachers, adjudicators, and parents are so amusing and forthright that they spark the desire for more.

Irish dance's link to national identity formation begins with the founding of the Gaelic League in 1893. Douglas Hyde's diagnosis of Ireland's dire need to form its own cultural identity gave rise to various promotions of Irish language, sports, and arts forms. Early feisanna were not just dances, but parliamentary meetings accompanied by sports and entertainment. Under the auspices of the Gaelic League, however, the dance portion of the feis became competitive. Partly out of embarrassment for the violence that occasionally erupted over adjudication standards for dance competition, a governing body, An Coimisiún, was established in 1929 with the mission to control all aspects of Irish step dancing. This move institutionalized the genre and raised questions of authenticity and national identity. One of the most interesting parts of the book is Hall's analysis of three foreign importations to Irish step dancing: the heel click, the butterfly, and the toe stand. Paradoxically, these least Irish steps seem to receive highest marks from adjudicators in dance competition; a dancer's conformity to the original dance—if one can even speak of such a thing—is thus not the key requirement for excellence in this "Irish sport."

Closely related to the issue of authenticity in dance steps is the question of posture. The chief characteristic of Irish step dancing, as opposed to other forms of folk dance, is stiffness of the upper body, combined with extreme flexibility and speed of movement of the legs and feet. This posture provokes much discussion of its origins and meanings. Hall's investigation of historical accounts reveals amusing hypotheses. One implausible explanation is that during the time of the Penal Laws, dancers held their upper bodies rigid so that passing British authorities looking into windows would not know they were dancing. Another fanciful interpretation is that the dancers were interested in demonstrating the kind of control of their bodies that the Catholic church imposed on their minds. Hall's discussion of the whimsical figure of the dance master is also entertaining. Often speaking and behaving as if he were above his own social class, the dance master inspired in his peasant students the desire to look and seem as if they belonged to the middle or upper classes. Here, controlled dance movements were one form of politesse or claim to social status.

Dancers' concern for how Irishness is perceived, both inside and outside of the country, persists in today's competitions. Although adjudicators are aware that ornate costumes are costly—and thus accessible only to students of higher social classes—they admit to awarding points for fancy dress. Typical costumes feature several Irish symbols embroidered onto the shiny fabric of bodice and skirt, while the girl's tightly curled coiffure is topped by a glittering tiara. To be...