The Evolution of the Solo

I've been involved in the world of feiseanna and Irish Dancing in general for about 12 years, after having been taken to a new class starting in our area when I was 7 in order to better connect with my Irish roots. As I'd already spent pretty much every holiday there for as long as I could remember and considered myself more Irish than English anyway, I thought this was superfluous. However, as I loved dance anyway to class I went and from then on I was hooked. Having been dancing for a good 12 years I've watched the solo transform from a comparatively simple velvet dress with embroidery inspired by the Book of Kells (if you ever get the chance, go to Trinity College in Dublin to see it - it's awesome!) to the be-glitzed, be-dazzled and be-garish numbers you see flitting about the stage today. So, for those of you who are relatively new dancers or just simply are interested to see what a feis was like when I started I have put together this article, complete with pictures, on how dress styles and crazes have developed in the time I've been dancing.

So, here it is. My first feis.

I'm the one in the middle with the shiny silk-style shirt. Age 7/8 approx.

This photo was taken circa. 1999/2000 so as you can see things were a bit different back then.  For a start only one girl is wearing a wig, and that was fairly normal. Wigs weren't as big (pardon the pun) back then as they are now. For a long time I spent every night before a feis with my mum drenching my hair in setting lotion before skewering bendy rollers into my head to make some half-frizzy curls which were then wrenched back into a half ponytail with ribbons and inevitably fell out halfway through the day. After going through that for a while, well, it's not surprising that I was very grateful to get my first wig. You'll also notice that the two girls in school dresses are wearing a velvet three-panel dress with celtic-style embroidery and a lace collar. This was still the norm even for solo dresses and many a girl in my class' first dress was a velvet solo number.

The Early Noughties (00s)

This is a typical example of a dress worn in the early noughties when girls began to get a bit more creative with the fabrics used and adopted a more lightweight fabric base, usually a shiny silk. Dresses still had the 3 panel design, which didn't change much until about 2005/6 ish as I remember (but please correct me if I'm wrong!) when Elevation design came on the scene with their new multi-panelled dresses. Of course these were the first dresses I saw of such a design and this is my memory - some other designer may have done it first. The embroidery on this dress is still largely celtic in nature and there is a simple colourway with a black centre panel and red sides - a typical design feature of many dresses at the time including my own in different shades of blue. What you can't see really in this picture is that the design is made out of cut-out swatches of glittered fabric, another common design feature that you can still see today. Not many are now made with shiny squares on a mesh-type base nowadays though. They were wide, the skirt was voluminous. They're the reason why girls started sitting on stools so as not to crush the boards. They're also a reason why it was common to see a girl vainly hitting the back of her skirt in order to kick her bum properly - it's really hard to get your foot up under the dress!

The Wrap-Around Skirt

The wrap around skirt was one in many a craze that started around the mid-noughties. Admittedly it was one I could never explain - it wasn't the most flattering style of skirt and I'm one of those people who isn't particularly enamoured with asymmetric shapes. However it proved pretty popular with younger dancers and so you saw plenty of tiny little girls in shocking pink wrap-around style dresses tripping around on stage.

The 4 Panel Skirt

This is a picture of my old dress (btw, if you want it, I'm selling it) which has the 4 panel-esque skirt. This and the 5 panel were often commonly referred to as "gladiator skirts" and were very much en vogue in 2005/6 when this dress was, coincidentally, made. I actually still love this style myself, but have to admit that the new soft-style skirts make it a LOT easier to kick your leg etc. I also like being able to sit on a chair without having to worry over much about my giant and stiff skirt.

The 5 Panel Skirt

We started getting crazy with the panels here - 5 panels! I have to say though, kudos to the 5 panel skirt. It did look rather elegant and had the other benefit of preserving the Irish tradition because on most of these dresses the panels had a celtic design on them to a very pleasing and eye-catching effect. You'll notice on this dress too that the fabrics have evolved - there's not nearly so much glitterball and the fabric looks like a white silk with a silver-dotted clear overlay on it. As well as some red lace-style material. I personally like the use of pretty and less-tacky looking fabrics for dresses, so I'm quite a fan of this dress.


The Tutu Skirt

So here it is! The beginning of a craze that's going to take us straight down the path to the sorts of dresses we see today; the Tutu skirt. Shown here underneath a 4 panel skirt, as it was usually incorporated when it started out, having a tutu style or frill underneath your skirt was very much the fashion a few years back. Even if you had a panelled skirt you put a tutu underneath it irregardless of whether you could see it or not - that's how popular these were. I did however witness the development of one particular dress over several feises that was adapted to the incorporate the skirt which went from a fairly ok, if a little too clashing, 3 panel dress to a 5 panel which had huge gaps between each panel so that the cupcake tutu could show through and a hanging part of the original main panel on the front. Let's just say that the less said about that dress the better - I don't think I'm ever going to be able to erase that image from my mind. That said, the tutu skirt is wonderfully practical as well as pretty and feminine so I was happy to watch (slightly jealously) as girls bought new dresses with this great new feature to parade in on stage.


The Puffball Skirt

Admittedly, the first time I saw this style of skirt around 2008 I was seriously unimpressed. I felt that the puffball looked awkward, lumpish and unflattering and as a choice of skirt for Irish Dancing highly impractical - it doesn't kick so much as crush. However, it has grown on me since I've seen more elegant examples such as this dress from Elevation Design, so although it would not be my choice of skirt I can now see why other girls would.

The Ra-Ra Skirt

It's flippy, it's frilly and it's fun. Oh, and it has tiers. The ra-ra skirt is a bit of a point of contention - some people think it looks too much like an ordinary skirt to be a real Irish Dancing skirt. However, I think that it can look very pretty on a dress so long as the bodice is fairly plain. It didn't really catch on as a skirt on it's own though, so lo and behold...

The Puffball Ra-Ra Skirt

...The cross between the two. Still quite current this is what I would call the puffball ra-ra skirt as it combines the tiers of a ra-ra with the fullness and "puff" of a puffball skirt. I've been trawling the internet recently (as you know) for a new dress for myself and this style of skirt popped up again and again. Whilst I eventually chose something a little different (See the Dress Quest Part 2) I have to say I quite like the general effect of the skirt with a plain coloured bodice and embroidery. Whether this'll still be here in another year only time will tell...

Bun Wigs vs Big Wigs

The great debate. Which would you vote for? Personally I'm going to outline some of the pros and cons of each wig here along with a few pics of the ones I think look best.  
(Click on the photos to be linked to the websites you can buy them from; Celtic Creations is offering free shipping to the USA at the moment!)

The Bun Wig
I remember bun wigs being all the rage when I was about 12 or 13 so a good 6 or 7 years ago, but whilst they're not as much of a craze now it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be popular. Particularly for younger dancers the bun wig keeps hair away from your face, looks very neat and tidy and doesn't swamp your head by being so big it makes your head look tiny, which can be a risk of wearing a full head wig. I know my teacher prefers them to the full head wigs at least on the younger girls. I personally love the Celtic Creations Caitlyn bun wig, which uses the pattern of the Caitlyn wig (also one of my fave full head wigs, coincidentally) to create a softer, more natural looking bun wig that looks great on an older dancer.

Photo from Celtic Creations

Equally the Lucy bun wig from Camelia Rose gives an interesting new look, creating an almost beehive style which mimics the trend for using "bumpits" to create miniature beehives in everyday wear. I think it's worth a look if you're looking for something new...

Photo from Camelia Rose

However, if you're looking for a more traditional bun wig, you can't fault the Camelia Rose Ciara wig, which has the tight ringlets which are tried and tested, having been worn by hundreds of dancers including myself for years.

Photo from Camelia Rose

The Big Wig
Well the big wig is arguably the most popular at the moment; the bigger the better. I know a lot of girls believe that a large wig is necessary for stage presence when in championships, not entirely sure they've got it right though as the larger the wig is the more it's going to weigh you down and the more it's going to drag you back. If you feel strong enough to carry around the weight of a large wig on stage whilst still looking as effortless as you want, then by all means go ahead, but I would recommend a medium-length as opposed to a long-length fuller wig in general. When worn with the right accessories a big wig can look very flattering on dancers of any age, and different wigs suit different age ranges. For example, I personally am not a fan of the smaller, tighter "frankfurter curls" as we sometimes call them here because I believe they look too artificial and rag-dolly, but I know they suit a young girl better than an older one and are an ideal choice for an open dancer between the ages of 10 and 13 when they have smaller faces. An example of this kind of wig is the Celtic Creations Alana wig below.

Photo from Celtic Creations

However, for older dancers I am more of a fan of wigs such as the Caitlyn by Celtic Creations which is a fuller, split-curl wig which gives soft lush curls that look very delicate and pretty. It can be quite ''big''  though so I would recommend trying it on first if you have a small or narrow face.

Photo from Celtic Creations

If you're looking for a more ultimately natural look, however, but do not have the sort of hair that will hold a curl, I would recommend Camelia Rose's new Sinead wig. This wig has large soft looking curls that look like the sort you would achieve with magik wands or bendy rollers so it's going back to basics without the pain of sleeping in rollers all night the night before a feis. Unfortunately it's only available in blonde at the moment, but I think it's definitely one to watch especially for older and more mature dancers who are past the age for huge wigs and tons of glitter.

Photo from Camelia Rose

So, which would you choose? Post comments below on your favoured type of wig and we'll see if we can figure out once and for all the Ultimate Wig.

The Dress Quest Part 2: My Mission Accomplished

It's finally finished! I have bought a new Irish Dance dress and personally, I think it's beautiful. Here's a picture of it from the seller:

I picked this dress for a few key reasons which I believe everyone does (or should) take into consideration when buying a new dress, particularly one that's second-hand and sold over the internet.
First of all; price. Price is a key factor when buying a dress, you want to spend enough to ensure quality without paying so much that you might as well have just bought a brand new custom-made dress. You will see many dresses marketed for over $1200/£750, whilst this may seem reasonable for used Elevation and Gavin Doherty dresses I would ask you to think wisely before purchasing. For that £750 you could have a reputable designer such as Eileen Plater make you a custom made dress to your specifications, which is more personal and I believe better value for money. This dress was £550 and as I am a student and can't afford more, and have such exacting measurements, I believed this to be a good price for what I wanted without paying for a custom-made solo.

Second of all, you need to consider colour. Colour can look massively distorted in photographs online, and you may have chosen something you think looks pretty on the screen and then discover when it's delivered that it's not quite as nice a shade as you thought. To avoid this being an issue, choose colours that you know always bring out your best features. As I have (very) light colouring and very blue eyes, I know that most shades of blue bring out the best of my skintone and eye colour so it's a fairly safe bet when choosing clothes. Don't be tempted to choose overly bright dresses simply because you believe it'll be more eyecatching on stage, if it's not going to suit you and/or looks ridiculous the adjudicator like any other person will be more distracted by your dress than your feet so it's a little counterproductive.

Finally you must consider how appropriate the dress is for your age and level. I know this sounds a little uptight and/or obvious because we all pick outfits we believe are appropriate to our age, but it's definitely something you need to consider. One memorable line from Memoirs of a Geisha relates dreams to hair ornaments, that "young girls are eager to wear all of them at once, but an older woman looks foolish wearing even one". Don't judge me on that quote, I couldn't find my book to be more exact but you get the idea. With Irish Dancing dresses as with hair ornaments, an older girl's dress should be less ostentatious than say a 13 year old's. As I am 19 and so in the Senior or Over 18s category for feis apart from the All Irelands, I think this dress is suitable to my level because it is a classy Open dancer's dress; the use of only 3 colours keeps it simple and the almost subtle sparkle added with the diamontés adds just that little bit of extra stage presence and glamour. I also like the celtic-styled embroidery as I believe that Irish dancing dresses should look a little bit Irish, it's good to keep some tradition in our outfits.

If you keep these 3 points in mind when shopping around for your new dress, I am sure you will have great success. Look on my Useful Websites page to find links to dress sites I found useful in searching for my dress and check back for photos of me wearing the dress soon. A lesson in subtle stage-makeup for the older dancer and how to add a little bit of glitz for younger girls coming soon...

A Champion's dress? I think yes!

The subtle colours of this dress amongst the plethora of uber-bright colours is sure to be noticed.

Check out this beautiful dress from designer Eileen Plater. I've named her as one of my top and most favourite designers and it's easy to see why - the attention to detail and the elegance of the craftsmanship is similar to that of dressmaker to the worlds Elevation Designs. Note how she uses simple but bold black appliqué to decorate the dress in a way that looks simple, beautiful and undoubtedly girly with the inclusion of the bow. The ruffle skirt is almost reminiscent of a ballet tutu skirt (Black Swan fashion comes to Irish Dancing too?) and instantly bespeaks feminity, gracefulness and delicacy. It really is a beautiful dress, and at £495 an absolute steal. If you or your daughter fits an age 9-11 this is definitely a dress to consider. Eileen Plater often uploads new off-the-rack (but still unique) dresses to their website, which at a fraction of the cost and double the quality of other dressmakers means they're one to watch on my browser every day.

Sweating in lycra? I think not...

Practice wear is a real concern for Irish Dancers. Given that most sports shops have (really expensive) designs aimed towards gym bunnies and super-runners, it can be difficult to find something affordable, attractive and easy to move in for Irish Dance.

Step forward Clare, an active IDMer and Murray dancer who's designed a range of Irish Dance related products with quotes from the likes of Riverdancer Jean Butler as well as new World Champion Brogan McCay. I especially love the t-shirts; made from cotton in a loose-fitting style that won't hang too baggy - perfect for those long days at feis or for those long hours of practice! Her designs are simple and inspirational, and on plain white Ts are able to go with anything. Congrats Clare!

To see and buy her designs visit www.zazzle.com/lifeloveirishdance.

Just one example of Clare's simplistic slogan tees.

The Dress Quest

The dress is arguably the most important (and expensive) part of any dancer's costume, being the actual costume part, but with the cost of dresses rising what's out there for those of us with a (lot) less than £1500 budget?

I've been searching for a new dress now for about 2 months. You see, my dress was made for me originally when I was 15, a UK size 6, 5 foot nothing... 4 years and 3 sets of exams later with periods of absence from dance class, it's understandable why forcing myself into my precious dress is just not going to work. Not that I haven't tried, mind you.

The question is; where to look? I'm a student, my budget is minimal and to buy a new or even fairly modern dress you're looking at prices well into the hundreds if not thousands.
I started my search on ebay, because as a student I swear by ebay as the answer to everything; new cookware, textbooks, technology accessories... And surprisingly enough they even have a fairly extensive list of Irish Dance dresses available for sale. Even better, these dresses are for the most part modern in style and reasonably priced. However, if you're over the age of 12 your choice begins to narrow, and for those us over 15 you're restricted to maybe 4 possible dresses, albeit the ones that are listed are quite lovely. For example this gorgeous dress originally made by Chantelle Domican.
 

Chantelle Domican dress listed by Irish seller elaghbeg - check it out if you want to bag a bargain! Photo courtesy of ebay.

Not finding anything to suit me though, I moved my search over to usedsolodresses.com. This site is possibly one of my favourites now for a mid-morning browse. The standard of dresses listed range from the stunning (see dress 2 ) to the downright ludicrous (see dress 1 ), but of course this depends on your taste. Prices on this site range from the sweet and cheap at around £150 to the much more expensive prices which go up to around £1700. There's also an easy-to-use search function with a range of ages available...and plenty of dresses to go with them! The site also boasts a great range of designers , from my favourite Elevation Designs to Gavin Doherty as well as many others such as Eileen Plater, another personal favourite. This site is definitely one to take a peek at if you're looking to upgrade your dress.
Whilst I haven't found anything for myself just yet, I've certainly enjoyed looking and I hope to find something soon. This blog to be continued...

There is no doubt that this Watson Design dress will be noticed on stage! Approx. £507.

Another Chantelle Domican dress, beginning to rather like this designer! £390. Photos courtesy of usedsolodresses.com