From Reels to Reels: Elevating Your Irish Dance Skills as an Intermediate Dancer
You’ve mastered the basics. The rhythm of the reel feels like a second heartbeat, your light jig is genuinely light, and you can navigate a set dance without panic. Welcome to the intermediate plateau—a place of both comfort and quiet frustration. The leap from here to advanced isn't just about harder steps; it's a shift in mindset.
This stage is where dancers often linger the longest. The initial explosive growth has settled, and progress feels incremental. But this is the crucial forge where technique becomes artistry, and execution transforms into expression. Let's talk about how to reignite that growth and truly elevate your dance.
1. Deconstruct to Reconstruct
As a beginner, you learned steps as whole units. Now, it’s time to become an engineer of movement. Take your trebles, sevens, and click. Film yourself in slow motion. Analyze the path of your foot from hip to floor and back again. Is your click truly symmetrical? Does your treble originate from the ankle or the knee?
Break each movement down into its three phases: preparation, execution, and recovery. Most flaws hide in the preparation. A shaky recovery throws off the next step. By deconstructing, you rebuild with precision, creating cleaner, sharper, and more powerful movements.
2. The Musicality Mindset: Dancing *With* the Music
Intermediate dancers follow the music. Advanced dancers converse with it. Move beyond simply hitting the beat. Start listening for the phrasing, the accents, and the melody in your reel or hornpipe.
Does your step highlight the fiddle's roll? Can your footwork mimic the flute's staccato run? Experiment. Use a powerful, grounded movement for an accented note and a light, quick brush for a run of sixteenth notes. Your dance should feel like a visual interpretation of the tune, not just an accompaniment.
3. Beyond the Feet: The Forgotten Top Half
It’s the eternal focus: fast, precise feet. But the illusion of effortless power comes from a controlled, dynamic upper body. Work on core engagement as your power center. Every kick, leap, and turn should be initiated from your core, not just your limbs.
Practice your hard shoe routine while consciously keeping your shoulders down, back straight, and arms in a relaxed but defined position. A still, strong top half makes the furious movement below look even more spectacular and controlled.
4. Cross-Training is Non-Negotiable
To dance more, you sometimes need to dance less. Strategic cross-training addresses the specific physical demands of the intermediate leap.
- For Height & Control: Pilates and ballet barre work. They build the long, lean muscles and core stability for higher kicks and sustained balances.
- For Power & Endurance: Strength training (squats, lunges, calf raises) and swimming. This builds the explosive power for clicks and the stamina for a full three-dance competition.
- For Recovery & Longevity: Yoga and dedicated stretching. This maintains flexibility and prevents the overuse injuries that plague intermediate dancers pushing their limits.
5. Embrace the "Why" Behind the Step
History and context aren't just for scholars. Understanding that a particular set dance mimics a horse's gait, or that a sean-nós movement is about improvisation and connection to the floor, changes how you perform it. Dive into the cultural roots. Watch old footage. This knowledge adds a layer of authenticity and intention that judges and audiences can feel.
- Pick One Thing: Each month, focus on deconstructing ONE technical element (e.g., the back brush in your treble).
- Active Listening: Spend 10 minutes a day listening to competition tunes without dancing. Map the phrasing in your head.
- Record & Reflect: Film one practice per week. Watch it once to cringe, then once to neutrally analyze one specific point.
- Find a "Dance Sibling": Connect with a dancer at your level. Be each other's motivators, videographers, and constructive critics.
The journey from intermediate to advanced is less about learning new reels and more about deepening your relationship with every single movement you already know. It's a shift from external performance to internal mastery. The steps are the same, but the dancer is transformed.
So put on your shoes, pick a tune, and dance not just to finish the step, but to find the artistry hidden within its beats. Your next reel is waiting.
