Editing Irish dance (section)

====Dances====
[[File:Women performing Irish dance in contemporary costume.jpg|thumb|left|An untraditional dance style|alt=Nontraditional costumes as well]]
Irish solo dances fall into two broad categories based on the shoes worn: 'hard shoe' (also known as hard shoe or heavy shoe) and 'soft shoe' (or light shoe) dances.

There are four soft shoe dance styles: the [[Reel (dance)|reel]], [[slip jig]],  light [[jig]] and 'single jig' (also referred to as 'hop jig'). Reels have a {{music|time|4|4}} (or sometimes {{music|time|2|4}} or {{music|time|2|2}}) [[time signature]]. Slip jigs are in {{music|time|9|8}} time. Light and single jigs are in {{music|time|6|8}} time, with different emphasis within the measure distinguishing the music.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Hard shoe dances include the [[hornpipe]] in syncopated {{music|time|2|4}} or {{music|time|4|4}} time, the [[treble jig]] (also called the 'heavy jig' or 'double jig') in a slow {{music|time|6|8}}, the [[treble reel]] (a short sixteen [[Bar (music)|bar]] hard shoe dance done to reel music) and 'traditional sets', which are a group of dances with set music and steps. Many traditional sets have irregular musical phrasing. There are multiple traditional sets, including [[St. Patrick's Day]], Blackbird, Job of Journeywork, Three Sea Captains, Garden of Daisies, and King of the Fairies. While theoretically standardised, different organisations recognise different traditional sets and slight variations exist between teachers. There are also "non-traditional sets" done by advanced dancers. These have set music, but not steps; the steps are choreographed by individual dance schools.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Competitive dancers generally dance two or three steps at a time, depending on their dancing level. Each step lasts for sixteen [[bar (music)|bar]]s of music for the treble jig and the reel. Dances such as the hornpipe and slip jig instead have eight [[bar (music)|bar]]s of music for their third steps. The dances are each danced starting with the right foot for eight bars, then repeated with the left foot for the last eight bars, doing the same movements with the opposite feet. Set dances, however, have a different format. The dancer usually dances one step, which is limited to the length of the first part of the music that is repeated (often eight bars, though this varies depending on the specific set dance), and is then repeated, resembling the steps of other dances. Then the dancer usually dances a "set" which is not repeated. It is a highly sought after and competitive feat to recall to dance this "third round" — at regional, national, and world competitions, only a small percentage (typically the top half of dancers graded after the first two rounds) of dancers are invited back to perform.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The ''Céilí'' dances used in competitions are more precise versions of those danced in less formal settings. There is a list of 30 ''Céilí'' dances which have been standardised and published in ''An Coimisiún's'' ''Ar Rinncidhe Foirne'' as examples of typical Irish folk dances; these are called the "book" dances by competitive stepdancers. Most Irish dancing competitions only ask for a short piece of any given dance, in the interests of time and the endurance of the dancers.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}