A fluid style
“The type of traditional dancing you’ll see at Siamsa is a looser, less dramatic, but more intimate style of dance,” explains Catríona Hickey of Siamsa Tíre
Many of our visitors comment that they feel our performances are more “authentic” than other dance shows they‘ve seen – although obviously both have their place. In this video, John Fitzgerald moves from the less showy Munnix style to the more dramatic contemporary style.”
While Flatley and Butler kept their upper bodies rigid, Munnix dance is much more fluid in the body, and the upper body is part of the step. Few understand the history of the style more than Siamsa dancer, Jonathan Kelliher.
When his feet hit the floor, they’re guided by a feeling of tradition: “There is a connection to the past as the steps I dance are from a very old ‘Munnix style’. This style is unique to north Kerry and, indeed, to Siamsa Tire, so it is always nice to feel you’re keeping their tradition and memory alive.”
It’s not only in Ireland’s west where memory is kept alive. Skip north for a taste of the highlands. |
Irish dance: the old way
