St. Patrick’s Day is quickly approaching. For our family that means a month of celebrating all things Irish. That includes my love affair with Celtic Dancing.
I first saw a performance of River Dance in the late 90’s. I was immediately struck by how impossibly fast the dancer’s feet move and how lightly the dancers travel across the floor. It’s an impressive sight to witness first hand.
It’s not just professionals that achieve an awe inspiring performance. During my travels to the West of Ireland I saw many informal performances at local pubs and impromptu performances at large family weddings. The most memorable of those dances was with a man of notable girth nimbly moving across the floor opposite his very young son. The entire wedding reception were on their feet cheering the duo on.
There isn’t a great deal of history on the origins of Irish Dance. I was told that the dancers only use their feet, so as the oppressive English Soldiers passed the tiny pub windows they would not notice the illegal dancing. I later learned it’s just a story passed on to naïve American tourists.
There is however evidence that the Druids practiced Irish dancing in religious rituals honoring the oak tree and the sun. Traces of their circular dances survive in the ring dances of today.
In modern history, when King James landed at Kinsale, County Cork, in 1780, he was welcomed by dancers. Three people stood abreast, each holding ends of a white handkerchief. They advanced to slow music and were followed by dancing couples, each couple holding a handkerchief between them.
Group dances were developed by village masters to hold the interest of their less gifted pupils and to give them the chance to enjoy dancing. The standard of these dances was still very high. Solo dancers were held in the highest esteem. This esteem is still held today. To have a child competing in Irish Dance remains a true source of pride for the family.
The World Championships will be held a few weeks after St. Patrick’s Day. They are traditionally held in Dublin at Easter Time. Dancers from England, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand compete for the World Title.
In recognition of this great and storied cultural dance my girls and I are creating Paper Irish Dancers to hang. I was inspired by the paper ballerinas at Krokotak. There are many similar tutorials but this one offers a printable template. I adjusted the arms to sit at their hips in a more traditional pose and attached a bit of ribbon to mimic the handkerchiefs. I recommend using card stock to give the dancer’s body a bit of support.
We used the colors of the Irish Flag for our dancers. It will be fun to play with patterned paper too. Traditional Irish Dresses are elaborate.
Erin go Bragh! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Check out! A Complete Guide: 5 Cute and Colorful Fake Nails for Kids.
Very cool. 😀
this is really cute! I’ve never thought of continuing the snowflake like craft onto another holiday!
I love these…Thank for sharing.
What a cute little craft for St. Patty’s day for the kids!
What a cute craft for decorating your home for St. Patrick’s day! You are so cleaver and I enjoyed reading about the origins of Irish dance even if part of it was a myth. Thanks for sharing.
I love these. Paper cutting is one of my favorite crafts and this one is perfect for my grand daughter’s room.
What a unique idea. This is not one that I’d seen before. Thanks for sharing!
How unique! How are these made? Did you have a stencil outline?
oh wow i didn’t know that they had such a thing and these cut out dancers are really cute lol , will have to check this out , would like to watch if they show it on tv.. thanks for sharing @tisonlyme143
they look so creative but at the same time hard i dont think ill be able to master this 🙂
These are so cute. Wish there was a template so we can make these too.
I learned so much from this post! I love the paper cut outs of the dancers!! I will be making these next year.
Did I miss something? Where is the downloaded template the article mentions?
Hi Lynda. If you follow the link titled ‘Krokotak’ you will find the instructions. Thanks
Love this idea. Wish I had seen it earlier. I will save for next year. 🙂
Really cute idea!
wow these paper Irish dancers are amazing! love that you share the inspiration with us as well so we can try to make our own! Thanks for the story and inspiration!
Incredible what you can make with paper! Thank you for sharing with us at Brag About It this week! Pinned and tweeted to share 🙂
Can u share the patter/instructions please
Hi Laura, If you follow the link titled ‘Krokotak’ you will find the instructions. Thanks