Irish Set Dancing
Set dancing is a form of social dancing which has been popular in Ireland for over 150 years. Sets are danced by four couples in a square, and usually consist of three to six figures with a short pause between each. They are descended from the French quadrilles, which were brought to Ireland by the British army in the nineteenth century. Irish dancers adapted the figures to their own music and steps to form dances with great drive and enjoyment. After a period of decline in the fifties and sixties, sets are very popular today in Ireland and in Irish communities throughout the world. An excellent book describing the history of set dancing, the steps, the terminology and 64 of the most commonly danced sets is Toss the Feathers by Pat Murphy, published by Mercier Press. Refer to the Set Dancing Library for more information.Note that set dancing is not the same as step dancing. Step dancing is the competitive solo form of Irish dancing now very popular because of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. If you want to dance like Michael Flatley, this web page is not going to help. To find a step dancing instructor near you, take a look at Ann's Irish Dance Page. On the other hand, if you're looking for good music, fun and friends resulting in the kind of joy you probably haven't experienced since childhood, read on.
Another form of Irish social dance is ceili dancing. This is a different, separate repertoire of dances which are commonly danced in Northern Ireland, England, America and Australia, but uncommon in the south of Ireland. The dances are in many forms, for couples or threesomes, in lines, squares and circles, including several in four-couple sets. They are danced to steps which are similar to those used in modern step dancing and unlike those for set dancing. While sets traditionally were passed on informally at home, ceili dances were taught formally by dancing teachers. The dances were introduced around the turn of the twentieth century. They suffered some neglect with the revival of set dancing but there is increasing interest in them. Some of the dances are good for beginners; others are as vigorous and enjoyable as a good set.
The word céilí or ceili also refers to an Irish social dance event with set dancing or ceili dancing or both, and possibly other types of dance such as the waltz, quickstep and jive. A fíor céilí, or true ceili, is one in which only ceili dances are danced - no set dancing at all - and are often conducted in Irish. Ceili and old time is a mixture of sets, ceili dances and waltzes. Nearly all the dancing referred to on this site is set dancing.
Source: Bill Lynch's article, The Joy of Sets, explains set dancing to non-set dancers at www.setdancingnews.net.
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