Irish Dance Costume-Week 3

Solo Irish Dance Costume for Girls

Solo boy costume
Old Irish Dance Costumes for boys and girls

Several generations ago, the appropriate dress for a competition was simply your "Sunday Best" when going to church. In the 1970s and 1980s, ornately embroidered dresses became popular. Today even more ornamentation is used on girls' dresses, for example lace, sequins and brilliants, silk, extensive embroidery, feathers and fur. Irish Dance schools have school dresses, complete with a small cape, bloomers, and a headband. These are worn by "Beginner" (Bun Grad) through "Novice" (Ullmhuchan) dancers. When dancers reach a level decided by their school, may get a solo dress of their own design and colors. Solo dresses can range from 100 to 5000 dollars, and are unique to each dancer. In competitions, solo dresses are usually only allowed to be worn when competing in the Mean Grad level or higher. Today in competition, most men wear a shirt, waistcoat, and tie assigned by their school paired with black trousers or a kilt. But when they get into the higher levels, as the girls do, they get to pick their own waistcoat, shirt and tie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_dance

***Student Question: What types of uniforms or outfits did your Cultural Background have and please describe and show pictures in your own blog.