Hi dancers, and welcome back to the Reel Deal! Today’s post is all about finding your personal approach to Irish dance and understanding which path fits you best! When you dedicate your time and energy to things that truly matter to you, your experience becomes richer, more fulfilling, and you’ll enjoy every moment that much more. Understanding what you like about dancing and what aspects of dancing motivate you the most can help you have the most enjoyable and successful dance experience possible!

Who: Solos vs Groups

One aspect to consider is whether you prefer to approach Irish dance as a soloist or in a group. For some dancers, solo dancing is all about exploring their individual potential. Others thrive in group settings, where working together as a team and sharing the energy of others makes the experience fulfilling. Most dancers I know enjoy both solos and groups, but for different reasons. Solo work often appeals to dancers who love focusing on personal technique and pushing their own skills. Group work, on the other hand, is a great way to spend time with dance friends, and group choreography can be a great creative outlet.

Imagine you’re walking into your dance class. If you were in charge of the class for the day and you had to choose to work on solos or teams, which would you pick? Just go with your gut instinct. Now, think about what draws you to that choice. Is it because it makes you happier? Maybe it motivates you more, or presents a challenge you enjoy?

There’s no right or wrong answer here, but understanding your preference can give you valuable insight into what brings you the most joy and fulfillment in dance. If solo dancing is your preference because you love honing technique and working toward a personal best, setting goals around those elements might make you happiest. Or, if group dancing resonates more due to the teamwork and friendships, then maybe achieving firsts isn’t as meaningful to you as dancing with friends. Remember, there is no “correct” option, but reflecting on what makes you happiest in dance is a great way to understand what you want from your dance journey. 

What: Mastery vs Experience

Another element to think about is whether you prefer to approach Irish dance with the goal of mastery or experience. Some dancers are on the journey toward mastering their craft, while others are more focused on experiencing the joy and freedom of movement.

When you learn a new step for the first time, do you want to practice it until you’ve memorized it and it looks pretty good? Or do you want to practice it until you won’t ever put a foot wrong? That’s kind of the difference. Dancers who love learning new steps and new skills, or who dance for fun and for fitness would fall more into the experience approach. Dancers who focus on drilling their technique and doing every dance as “correctly” as possible would fall into the mastery approach. 

Understanding which approach resonates with you can help you set realistic goals and measure your own progress. For example, if you’re an experience-oriented dancer who loves the thrill of competition, you may not place as well but you can still have tons of fun getting up on stage and hanging out with your teammates! In this case, you might assess competitions by how much you enjoyed yourself or what you learned from the experience. If you are a mastery-oriented dancer, you will want to set clear, achievable goals around technique and skills to help you make your dances the best they can be. 

When: Class, Performance, and Competition

The last approach we’re going to talk about is the different times you can engage with Irish dancing, the three primary ones being class, performance, and competition, and which you prefer. Similar to how we looked at solos vs groups, understanding what parts of each of these approaches you like can help you build a dance journey that makes you the happiest.

Starting with class. Class time is a unique time to engage with Irish dance because it is very different for every dancer. For some dancers, like those who dance for fun or fitness, it’s the only time they dance. For others, like competitive dancers, it’s practice time for something bigger. Think about what class time is for you. Do you like class time more than other approaches, like performance or competition? Also, think about what elements of class are your favorites. Spending time with friends, getting some exercise, getting corrections from your teachers, running fulls?

Now to performance. Not all dancers perform, but many give it a try at least once. The performance approach often appeals to dancers who love being on stage, being creative, and bringing joy to audiences. Where does performance stand for you? What do you like and not like about performing? 

And competition. Like performing, not all dancers compete. The competition approach tends to be a favorite of ambitious and driven dancers who like the game of high risk and high reward. Some start competing when they are young, and stop once they are older. Some dancers don’t start competing after they’ve already been dancing for years. If you’ve competed before, do you enjoy it more than performing? What things do you like and not like about competing?

Note for parents: As your dancer explores what approaches to dance they enjoy most, competition may be something they try. Especially when your dancer is new to competition, it can be hard to know where to spend your time and money. Sometimes dancers really enjoy competing but struggle with placement, and as much as you want to support them, you’re also not sure if it’s going to be worthwhile. If you find yourself questioning this, try to remember…

• You’re not being unsupportive by thinking about cost. It’s a huge part of competing, especially when they almost always involve traveling. 

• You can always discuss with your dancer’s teacher to see what their takeaways from the competition were. Was the dancer younger than her competitors? Less experienced? Competing new dances? These are things to consider.

• Not all dancers are competitively driven, but I do think that all dancers can be competitively successful, but it takes time. Not everyone does well right away. Most competitive dancers, especially those who start young, compete the same dances for years. 

• Large groups are always more challenging because any small mistake will drop you multiple places. When a judge has that many dancers to sift through, it's the small details that help them narrow down the top dancers in a group. 

• And of course, remember the little wins! A lot of dancers and parents get hung up on awards results, especially when dancers are just starting to compete. But don’t forget about solos and teams! 

Now that we’ve covered the who, what, and when of approaching Irish dance, think about what approaches contain the elements you love most. Maybe you’re a soloist, looking for mastery, and competing is your favorite. Maybe you like performing in groups, but you still want to master your footwork. Or you could enjoy experiencing dance during class as a soloist as a way to get exercise and challenge yourself. Or maybe you like a little of everything for different purposes, like you like competing as a soloist, but performing in groups is your favorite, and in both you always are working towards mastery. Whatever approach suits you best, give it your all. And if it changes over time, let it! You won’t always have the same goals and preferences, and allowing yourself to explore new interests or drop things that aren’t serving you anymore will help you experience Irish dance in a way that always brings you joy and fulfillment. 

Hopefully, this got you thinking about what elements of Irish dance make you the happiest, and which approaches might suit you best! Remember that within a school or a team, many dancers will have similar goals or follow similar paths. But your dance journey is yours, and it doesn’t have to look the same as anyone else’s. If taking a step back from something you thought you wanted might actually make you happier, it’s worth a shot! Or if trying something new might get you more excited about dancing, give that a go! Prioritizing the parts of dance that make you happy will make that journey more fulfilling.

I hope you enjoyed this brief overview of some different approaches to Irish dance and how you can determine which is the best fit for you! If you want me to talk more in depth about any of these approaches in the future, let me know!