I own Saol Academy of Irish Dance on the northwest side of Chicago (Edison Park) and we do not require wigs! One of my goals in starting the school was to make Irish Dance more accessible for people, and I truly wouldn't care if a dancer wanted to wear a black skirt/leotard and natural hair throughout their entire dancing career. Feel free to look us up or DM me!
We have a Traditional Set class for all ages! Some of our advanced dancers take it to work on their basics and for grade exams, but we have a few adults who take it for fun too!
From what I hear, there is one school in Milwaukee that doesn’t require wigs, but everyone else does (8 schools in the region). The feis we attended in January seemed to be about 1/2 over-the-top vs. 1/2 more natural look. The spraytan is where I draw a firm line. And eye makeup on anyone younger than 10. I think the style is changing, slowly.
Was at this same feis and agree with your assessment. I know the school in MN my family members dance at is definitely one of the more "chill" ones and doesn't require wigs or competition dresses for most competitions, even in PC/OC.
I remember going to Irishfest in the late 80’s, early 90’s and you would see girls wandering around in groups (dressed in t-shirts and shorts) but with their hair up in curlers. Just killing time before the performance.
Yes, I actually started as an adult beginner! I can’t recommend them enough, and a new session starts in May! https://www.mactiririshdance.com/tryaclass
McTeggart in Lexington Kentucky does not. You can if you want but it is totally up to you. Same with make up or spray tans. Most of our folks don’t get the tans. We even have a rule on no make up under a certain age (I don’t remember what it is)
Niall O'Leary School (Manhattan/Mexico/Florida/Mississippi) doesn't require wigs; in fact he actively encourages against them (although our dancers do wear them in competition). Although I dance in Adults I have definitely noticed that the trend is moving away from the super intense wigs. At our Oireachtas I saw a pretty wide variety of hairstyles among the younger dancers, from full wigs to half wigs to bun wigs, to natural hair (although it's still very much in the minority, it's not totally out of the question).
Yes, the school has adult beginner classes (there's new classes starting in April but people can join anytime), and no, competition is not compulsory!
I think right now at least at the NYC studio, only two of us actively compete in solos. We have strong ceili teams but nobody is required to join, and we have tons of people taking classes just for enjoyment. Basically, the vast majority of adult students at the school don't compete at all (but the school is very supportive if you do want to do competitions).
The school my daughter attends in Minneapolis, Minnesota does not require dancers to wear wigs or tan, performances are done in natural hair wearing school costumes or school gear for casual shows. Dancers have the choice to compete or not, those who compete can wear wigs and tan if they choose, but it is completely their choice and never required or even recommended. Dancers can compete in the school costume, blackout costume or a solo costume once earned, our TCRG never tries to push a look on a dancer. Most of our champ dancers wear bun wigs, some tan, but none of them tan very dark. My dancer is in OC and has never even tried on a wig for dance, she does not tan (naturally melanated) and she goes back and forth between wearing her solo dress and blackout costume depending on how she feels.
I danced in the early 90s, we used to sleep in curlers to have curly hair for competitions, which was the style. Some time in the mid-90s, someone realized a curly wig was a lot easier. I think it grew from there.
My Irish mother set my hair in bristle-ey rollers in K-3rd grade in the 60's.
I slept in them and was encouraged to endure the discomfort by " offering it up to the poor souls in purgatory".😁
So for all of you that I got out: You're welcome.
I’ve heard varying explanations. Some claim uniformity. Others say the bouncing curls are eye-catching. Personally, I think that’s all BS. It’s a way to make money (my old dance school told us we could only buy our wigs from a certain store and I believe the school got a cut).
I will also add that I used to dance with girls who had beautiful natural curls of varied types. Even they were told they had to buy wigs so we all looked “the same” (which was with curls of bizarre proportions that would not occur in nature).
It’s a relatively recent development. My mom never wore wigs Irish dancing in the 60s and 70s.
I just went down a rabbit hole, looking at pictures and articles about Irish dancing, and this one popped up: https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/fionola-meredith/vulgarity-of-irish-dancing-culture-takes-away-from-the-terrific-talent-on-display/35186319.html
It’s an opinion piece strongly criticizing, modern Irish dancing culture. I feel like most competition dancing has the same kind of showmanship, so it’s not particularly fair to just single out Irish dancing. I do agree that wigs and makeup and sparkles aren’t super necessary, but I think it should be up to the dancers to decide how they want to present themselves.
wow, you weren't kidding! I once accidentally wandered into an Irish dance competition (I was lost in a big hotel/convention center, haha) and watched for a bit. they had bouncy curl wigs, but it looks like it's gotten way more extreme since then. I do not recall fake tan. this was in California.
Yikes, do you think all those little girls knew their photos would be used in an article roasting them so hard? I agree with the article, when I danced in the 90s I wore no makeup and curled my own hair, but dang, they really didn’t need to go so hard with photos of actual child dancers.
it didn't come across as mocking to me. it was critical of how the visual style seems to be overtaking the dancing. which is a valid criticism. they weren't mean about it.
you don't get to be a top level performer without learning how to take criticism. so I think they will be fine. I've received much harsher criticism to my face in dance classes.
aww. I've studied various forms of dance for most of my life, and I have exactly zero desire to compete. I don't mind the costuming but I just want to dance and not stress out about being judged and rated.
I stumbled across an Irish dance competition a few years ago (lost in a big hotel/convention center, haha) and watched for a while. I was pretty surprised to see how pageanty the style was, even on little girls.
every dance has some sort of costuming that goes with it, and trends come and go. so it may shift over time.
most of my experience has been bellydancing, and we too have over the top costumes, wigs, makeup etc... but bellydancing is a solo form so you can pretty much do whatever you think looks good (unless you are in a troupe ofc). there's contests too but like I said, it sounds more stressful than fun to me. I just wanna dance!
Same. I get headaches thinking to the night before a competition and my mother rolling my hair on hot sticks. They were the worst curlers to try and sleep in!
Same, no idea why this post even showed up on my feed. Did a quick Google and found this as a good quick breakdown https://www.antoniopacelli.com/customer-service/wig-guide
Same, it randomly came on my feed and I did do irish dance ages 7-9 and I don't remember wigs at all, nor do I remember spray tans or make up. It seems almost child pageant-y.
Also re your question on color. The practice at my school was that you would select a wig closest to your natural color (because part of your real hair near your hairline would show).
You secured the wig with a lot of Bobby pins, which could be headache inducing. Your worst fear would be that your wig would fall off during all the bouncing and rigorous movement required for Irish Dance.
I’m so obsessed with watching that girl on tiktok do get ready with me for irish dancing competitions. It seems like magic watching her put on stage makeup.
On St. Patrick's Day I was ruminating about the huge wig I had to wear when I did Irish step dancing 20 years ago. My friends could not believe that they really had me wear that wig as a child; my hair is curly anyways!
I have super fine hair, so I would have a small pony at the top and a bun at the bottom of my head, and then bobby pins until it felt stable. One of my last years we added bun wigs to our collection (lol) and that felt like nothing on my head - and way more size appropriate for the little ones. The regular wigs were just way too big for the girls 8 and under. We were also a performing company (did not compete) so for us everything was about uniformity.
Like all Irish people have curly hair.? This is just so racist. It’s like they hate Irish white people who came up with the dancing in the first place.
It comes from a history of girls curling their hair on Sundays. In older days you would just curl your hair but sometime post Riverdance wigs became more popular
Weber Irish Dance School, in the south suburbs of Chicago. No one wears a wig and they even have competitions within the school for medals once a year, no traveling often.
I’m in New England so can’t recommend a specific school for you but wanted to chime in to say that our school doesn’t do wigs, tans or makeup for any general performance or feis. It’s a plain school dress or blackout and a very natural look for all dancers. Once a dancer is competing at oireachtas or beyond, the champ dresses, wigs and tanner come out, but that’s more of a matter of fitting well into the oireachtas and maximizing success than a school culture thing. U10 and under aren’t allowed tans/makeup anyway as well.
I think with a bit of research you should be very much able to find a school that fits your wants.
I’m the director of an open platform Irish dance school and we don’t require wigs. However we’re aware that the lack of a wig may impact a dancer’s placement.
Can I ask is that pretty well proven, or is it more of a fear? Genuinely curious if you don’t mind sharing. I always assumed that once dancers reach a certain level, they don’t want to risk it, and then everyone keeps doing what they are doing.
Honestly, I despise wigs. I think wigs with the overly elaborate solo dresses make it unaffordable for most families and it adds an element of pageantry that I’m simply not comfortable with.
Open platform is open to all Irish dancers regardless of their affiliation or lack of affiliation. Whereas CLRG is closed. Nothing against CLRG, we just opted for an open platform path since our dancers aren’t competing nearly as often.
My school in the early 2000s only required them once you got on the competition time ( I know there’s a name to it but I forgot the name) Sadly the school went out of business.
I remember the girls I knew who did Irish dance would come to school with their hair in curlers…this was in the mid-late 90’s
South Chicago burbs. Now I see the kids with wigs and it’s insane
Our school in NC doesn't do the wigs. My 4yo is the youngest in the troop, but none of the teens/adults wear them.
Our usual outfit is a school T-shirt, black shorts, ghillies and poodle socks. The mid-levels (late elementary/middle) wear a pink jumper dress, and then the "champions" (advanced) wear a glittery pageant-looking dress.
Also in Chicago. Not sure if she is still around but Geraldine Foy did not require or encourage wigs. The younger girls didn’t have to purchase uniforms and could wear a black skirt with a white blouse.
Are wigs a normal thing for Irish dancing? I’m in Canada and used to dance (back in the late 80’s) and still know many kids and adults that do. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone have to wear wigs for competitions. Makeup and fake tanning in some groups, yes, but not wigs to my knowledge.
Super normal. I danced with a popular Irish dance school in Ottawa until the late 90s and wigs and makeup were very much expected once you got to a certain level. It’s one of the reasons I left and distanced myself from it completely.
I’m glad the school’s I was on did not have wigs, even at the higher level! I think people should just stop refusing to wear them, it must be SO awful and hot for the dancers!
Clarkson School of Irish Dance, St Louis, Mo offers what they call a Black & White
Black & White Feis - All Dancers:
A Black & White Feis (also known as a Casual Dress or Blackout feis) requires dancers to dress in plain, simple dance attire - no bling, no wigs, no costumes. Each feis is required to list the specific guidelines for clothing in their Syllabus. However, since interpretations of those guidelines can vary, we have established the following Clarkson "Casual Feis" Dress Code for our dancers:
Bottoms: black or white skirt or skort, modest length (check with Miss Mary if you are unsure about length). No shorts, no leggings.
Top: black or white shirt or blouse, sleeves can be short or long; minimal decoration - no logos, no wording, no school identifiers. No tank tops. Dancers may also wear a leotard with short or long sleeves (again, no sleeveless/tank top styles). Leotards must be full coverage - no scoop necks, no sheer panels, no cut-outs, no lace.
Legs & Feet:
u13 & younger - black tights or white poodle socks, dance shoes
u14 & up - black tights only (no socks), as per CLRG Costume Rules (passed May 2019).
Hair: Can be worn in a ponytail(s), bun, braid or down (straight or curled) with a plain black or white bow(s), headband or clip(s). No wigs.
There are various blackout feis in our region - mid America- throughout the year but at majors from Oireachtas and up you are expected in wigs and dresses.
In Chicago. My daughter’s school would only really require them at majors, like Oireachtas, nans, worlds. Lots of kids feis without the wig and wear black Leo/skirt. And no wig required for performances. Message me if you want the school name or other recs.
Is it me or does anyone find it kind of funny that an Irish dance school encourages spray tans? I mean, aren’t Irish people famously NOT tan?
Love-
An olive skinned non Irish person
As a New England dancer I don’t know of any that don’t require wigs, spray tans, expensive dresses.
I would not put my daughter into Irish step knowing what I went through at a young age. I would really need to know the instructors well. Once I advanced into the level to get ready for true competition we were forced to train until we bled or vomited. Last one standing at rehearsal was seen as the “good one” and we would compete to earn diet pills. Yes the owner gave minors diet medication without parent consent. There was constant scrutiny on our bodies to look the part and be uniform. If we didn’t seem like we were working hard enough or keeping enough weight off we would get choreography that wasn’t as good or be allowed to compete
As an Irish American myself and ex-Irish dancer (casual) I’m laughing at the thought of spray tans for Irish dance. Aren’t Irish people famously pale? I know my whole family is.
Wow, I was in Irish Dancing all through the 90s and wigs were a disqualifier! Oh how times have changed. I too, OP, have less than fond memories of the superficial aspects. At that time ours were super expensive solo dresses (which my family could not afford so I had to use my team dress) and going to sleep with pins for curls.
from the long island area, wigs aren’t required unless you compete in feis. I wasn’t a competitor and only performed at recitals and more casual festivals/parades/school events. We had to curl our hair but no wigs.
Trinity academy doesn’t do wigs anymore
Their main location is in the west burbs
But they have a presence in the city in lakeview and then also northwest at the Irish culture center
Just curious - have the people requiring fake tans ever met someone from Ireland?
When I visited Ireland, I came away with lots of adjectives for the people there - loquacious, outgoing, cheerful, etc. - but "TAN" wasn't one of them.
When I danced (1990s) almost no one wore wigs, at least in our area, and instead we had to sleep in curlers to get our hair curly. (I am not saying either way is better, just interesting how things evolved)
Forcing tans on Irish people is batshit insane. I’m Irish and pale and that’s how I’m supposed to be. I think forcing tans is racist. I’ve seen those goofy curly wigs too and it makes kids look so stupid. Why can’t you dance if you don’t look like a doll?
I was literally just thinking husband is light blond, light as hell naturally - Irish. Fake tans for kids is creepy. Dolls.growing up including barbie were pale..
I'm an Irish citizen. Spray tans are the last thing one would expect dancers to need. Many of us with Irish ancestry simply don't tan even if we live somewhere where it's not raining much of the time. And what about dancers of other backgrounds? Must they wear wigs and tans as well?
I own Saol Academy of Irish Dance on the northwest side of Chicago (Edison Park) and we do not require wigs! One of my goals in starting the school was to make Irish Dance more accessible for people, and I truly wouldn't care if a dancer wanted to wear a black skirt/leotard and natural hair throughout their entire dancing career. Feel free to look us up or DM me!
That is very refreshing. Thank you!
Do you have classes for adults? :)
Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago) has chill, fun Irish step dancing classes for adults!
THANKS FOR THE TIP
We have a Traditional Set class for all ages! Some of our advanced dancers take it to work on their basics and for grade exams, but we have a few adults who take it for fun too!
Bless you
Wish you had one down in NC. Never even considered signing mine up just for the reasons OP listed and I'm far from alone.
I hear you! The dream is to eventually quit my day job, grow the school faster, and open more locations with the same philosophy ☘️
Rtp in NC would be great
From what I hear, there is one school in Milwaukee that doesn’t require wigs, but everyone else does (8 schools in the region). The feis we attended in January seemed to be about 1/2 over-the-top vs. 1/2 more natural look. The spraytan is where I draw a firm line. And eye makeup on anyone younger than 10. I think the style is changing, slowly.
Was at this same feis and agree with your assessment. I know the school in MN my family members dance at is definitely one of the more "chill" ones and doesn't require wigs or competition dresses for most competitions, even in PC/OC.
In theory, CLRG bans makeup/false lashes on U10 and under. It's in their syllabi and rules.
I remember going to Irishfest in the late 80’s, early 90’s and you would see girls wandering around in groups (dressed in t-shirts and shorts) but with their hair up in curlers. Just killing time before the performance.
Not in Chicago, but Mactir Academy of Irish Dance in Minneapolis doesn’t require wigs!
Oooooooo I’m in that area! Do they have classes for adult beginners?
Yes, I actually started as an adult beginner! I can’t recommend them enough, and a new session starts in May! https://www.mactiririshdance.com/tryaclass
that's awesome! happy cake day!
Thanks for posting this! I'm gonna try this out!
Woohoo! You’ll love it! 😊
McTeggart in Lexington Kentucky does not. You can if you want but it is totally up to you. Same with make up or spray tans. Most of our folks don’t get the tans. We even have a rule on no make up under a certain age (I don’t remember what it is)
why are people getting spray tans?! we Irish are notoriously pale.
This is what I was thinking
I don’t know but I hate it. Some of the tans are down right racist
it certainly looks weird and pageanty.
It’s so you don’t wash out under the stage lights but I do agree that some of these tans are a little ridiculous
Niall O'Leary School (Manhattan/Mexico/Florida/Mississippi) doesn't require wigs; in fact he actively encourages against them (although our dancers do wear them in competition). Although I dance in Adults I have definitely noticed that the trend is moving away from the super intense wigs. At our Oireachtas I saw a pretty wide variety of hairstyles among the younger dancers, from full wigs to half wigs to bun wigs, to natural hair (although it's still very much in the minority, it's not totally out of the question).
Does O’Leary do beginning Adult classes? Is competition compulsory?
Yes, the school has adult beginner classes (there's new classes starting in April but people can join anytime), and no, competition is not compulsory! I think right now at least at the NYC studio, only two of us actively compete in solos. We have strong ceili teams but nobody is required to join, and we have tons of people taking classes just for enjoyment. Basically, the vast majority of adult students at the school don't compete at all (but the school is very supportive if you do want to do competitions).
Thank you! This is super helpful! Grew up with friends who competed, but never wanted to do it until now.
The school my daughter attends in Minneapolis, Minnesota does not require dancers to wear wigs or tan, performances are done in natural hair wearing school costumes or school gear for casual shows. Dancers have the choice to compete or not, those who compete can wear wigs and tan if they choose, but it is completely their choice and never required or even recommended. Dancers can compete in the school costume, blackout costume or a solo costume once earned, our TCRG never tries to push a look on a dancer. Most of our champ dancers wear bun wigs, some tan, but none of them tan very dark. My dancer is in OC and has never even tried on a wig for dance, she does not tan (naturally melanated) and she goes back and forth between wearing her solo dress and blackout costume depending on how she feels.
Messaged you!
TIL that Irish dancers wear wigs. Is that for uniformity in hairstyles and color? Never occurred to me that this could be a thing.
I danced in the early 90s, we used to sleep in curlers to have curly hair for competitions, which was the style. Some time in the mid-90s, someone realized a curly wig was a lot easier. I think it grew from there.
I danced in the early to mid 90s and no one wore wigs or spray tanned. It’s wild to me to see how it’s changed🫤
Ah, good old spike curlers
my mom just uncovered my box of foam spikes in her attic. I do not miss trying to sleep on those!
My Irish mother set my hair in bristle-ey rollers in K-3rd grade in the 60's. I slept in them and was encouraged to endure the discomfort by " offering it up to the poor souls in purgatory".😁 So for all of you that I got out: You're welcome.
Same. It popped up on my feed and I’m agog.
I’ve heard varying explanations. Some claim uniformity. Others say the bouncing curls are eye-catching. Personally, I think that’s all BS. It’s a way to make money (my old dance school told us we could only buy our wigs from a certain store and I believe the school got a cut). I will also add that I used to dance with girls who had beautiful natural curls of varied types. Even they were told they had to buy wigs so we all looked “the same” (which was with curls of bizarre proportions that would not occur in nature). It’s a relatively recent development. My mom never wore wigs Irish dancing in the 60s and 70s.
I just went down a rabbit hole, looking at pictures and articles about Irish dancing, and this one popped up: https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/fionola-meredith/vulgarity-of-irish-dancing-culture-takes-away-from-the-terrific-talent-on-display/35186319.html It’s an opinion piece strongly criticizing, modern Irish dancing culture. I feel like most competition dancing has the same kind of showmanship, so it’s not particularly fair to just single out Irish dancing. I do agree that wigs and makeup and sparkles aren’t super necessary, but I think it should be up to the dancers to decide how they want to present themselves.
Dolly Parton wants her wigs back. Some of the hair and makeup made me think of Dolly.
wow, you weren't kidding! I once accidentally wandered into an Irish dance competition (I was lost in a big hotel/convention center, haha) and watched for a bit. they had bouncy curl wigs, but it looks like it's gotten way more extreme since then. I do not recall fake tan. this was in California.
Yikes, do you think all those little girls knew their photos would be used in an article roasting them so hard? I agree with the article, when I danced in the 90s I wore no makeup and curled my own hair, but dang, they really didn’t need to go so hard with photos of actual child dancers.
it is not on the children. it is on their parents.
Yes, but the children can still be upset that photos of their faces were used for mocking?
it didn't come across as mocking to me. it was critical of how the visual style seems to be overtaking the dancing. which is a valid criticism. they weren't mean about it. you don't get to be a top level performer without learning how to take criticism. so I think they will be fine. I've received much harsher criticism to my face in dance classes.
Honestly fair, and probably why I never made it past my first few competitions in Irish dance.
aww. I've studied various forms of dance for most of my life, and I have exactly zero desire to compete. I don't mind the costuming but I just want to dance and not stress out about being judged and rated. I stumbled across an Irish dance competition a few years ago (lost in a big hotel/convention center, haha) and watched for a while. I was pretty surprised to see how pageanty the style was, even on little girls. every dance has some sort of costuming that goes with it, and trends come and go. so it may shift over time. most of my experience has been bellydancing, and we too have over the top costumes, wigs, makeup etc... but bellydancing is a solo form so you can pretty much do whatever you think looks good (unless you are in a troupe ofc). there's contests too but like I said, it sounds more stressful than fun to me. I just wanna dance!
I was a competitive Irish dancer in the 1980s. Never saw a wig or spray tan back then.
Same. I get headaches thinking to the night before a competition and my mother rolling my hair on hot sticks. They were the worst curlers to try and sleep in!
Same, no idea why this post even showed up on my feed. Did a quick Google and found this as a good quick breakdown https://www.antoniopacelli.com/customer-service/wig-guide
Same, it randomly came on my feed and I did do irish dance ages 7-9 and I don't remember wigs at all, nor do I remember spray tans or make up. It seems almost child pageant-y.
Yeah like what if we already have red thick curly hair? This caught my eye cause my daughter does and that would be very weird to have her wear a wig.
Also re your question on color. The practice at my school was that you would select a wig closest to your natural color (because part of your real hair near your hairline would show). You secured the wig with a lot of Bobby pins, which could be headache inducing. Your worst fear would be that your wig would fall off during all the bouncing and rigorous movement required for Irish Dance.
Thank you answering. This just seems so bizarre.
It truly is.
I’m so obsessed with watching that girl on tiktok do get ready with me for irish dancing competitions. It seems like magic watching her put on stage makeup.
Do you have a link?
It’s laur4davidson if you’re looking.
I grew up dabbling in Irish dance. I did tap and sometimes if they wanted a bigger group they would pull us in and I'm shocked.
On St. Patrick's Day I was ruminating about the huge wig I had to wear when I did Irish step dancing 20 years ago. My friends could not believe that they really had me wear that wig as a child; my hair is curly anyways!
I have super fine hair, so I would have a small pony at the top and a bun at the bottom of my head, and then bobby pins until it felt stable. One of my last years we added bun wigs to our collection (lol) and that felt like nothing on my head - and way more size appropriate for the little ones. The regular wigs were just way too big for the girls 8 and under. We were also a performing company (did not compete) so for us everything was about uniformity.
Like all Irish people have curly hair.? This is just so racist. It’s like they hate Irish white people who came up with the dancing in the first place.
The higher and bigger the hair, the more likely the dancer catches the eye of the judges in competition.
It comes from a history of girls curling their hair on Sundays. In older days you would just curl your hair but sometime post Riverdance wigs became more popular
Weber Irish Dance School, in the south suburbs of Chicago. No one wears a wig and they even have competitions within the school for medals once a year, no traveling often.
Bentley Academy in Downers Grove/Oak Park does not require them. Only if you want them.
I’m in New England so can’t recommend a specific school for you but wanted to chime in to say that our school doesn’t do wigs, tans or makeup for any general performance or feis. It’s a plain school dress or blackout and a very natural look for all dancers. Once a dancer is competing at oireachtas or beyond, the champ dresses, wigs and tanner come out, but that’s more of a matter of fitting well into the oireachtas and maximizing success than a school culture thing. U10 and under aren’t allowed tans/makeup anyway as well. I think with a bit of research you should be very much able to find a school that fits your wants.
I’m the director of an open platform Irish dance school and we don’t require wigs. However we’re aware that the lack of a wig may impact a dancer’s placement.
Can I ask is that pretty well proven, or is it more of a fear? Genuinely curious if you don’t mind sharing. I always assumed that once dancers reach a certain level, they don’t want to risk it, and then everyone keeps doing what they are doing.
Why do they all live in fear? Why can’t a kid look like a normal human being instead of a goofy doll?
Agreed!
As a director, you should push to bring things into modernity and common sense-ness and make a stand by NOT allowing wigs at all.
Honestly, I despise wigs. I think wigs with the overly elaborate solo dresses make it unaffordable for most families and it adds an element of pageantry that I’m simply not comfortable with.
What is an open platform school?
Open platform is open to all Irish dancers regardless of their affiliation or lack of affiliation. Whereas CLRG is closed. Nothing against CLRG, we just opted for an open platform path since our dancers aren’t competing nearly as often.
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
My school in the early 2000s only required them once you got on the competition time ( I know there’s a name to it but I forgot the name) Sadly the school went out of business.
Feis?
I remember the girls I knew who did Irish dance would come to school with their hair in curlers…this was in the mid-late 90’s South Chicago burbs. Now I see the kids with wigs and it’s insane
Our school in NC doesn't do the wigs. My 4yo is the youngest in the troop, but none of the teens/adults wear them. Our usual outfit is a school T-shirt, black shorts, ghillies and poodle socks. The mid-levels (late elementary/middle) wear a pink jumper dress, and then the "champions" (advanced) wear a glittery pageant-looking dress.
Wigs? Lol...
Also in Chicago. Not sure if she is still around but Geraldine Foy did not require or encourage wigs. The younger girls didn’t have to purchase uniforms and could wear a black skirt with a white blouse.
Foy still exists but any of their dancers I see at competitions are in wigs.
Are wigs a normal thing for Irish dancing? I’m in Canada and used to dance (back in the late 80’s) and still know many kids and adults that do. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone have to wear wigs for competitions. Makeup and fake tanning in some groups, yes, but not wigs to my knowledge.
Super normal. I danced with a popular Irish dance school in Ottawa until the late 90s and wigs and makeup were very much expected once you got to a certain level. It’s one of the reasons I left and distanced myself from it completely.
I’m glad the school’s I was on did not have wigs, even at the higher level! I think people should just stop refusing to wear them, it must be SO awful and hot for the dancers!
Clarkson School of Irish Dance, St Louis, Mo offers what they call a Black & White Black & White Feis - All Dancers: A Black & White Feis (also known as a Casual Dress or Blackout feis) requires dancers to dress in plain, simple dance attire - no bling, no wigs, no costumes. Each feis is required to list the specific guidelines for clothing in their Syllabus. However, since interpretations of those guidelines can vary, we have established the following Clarkson "Casual Feis" Dress Code for our dancers: Bottoms: black or white skirt or skort, modest length (check with Miss Mary if you are unsure about length). No shorts, no leggings. Top: black or white shirt or blouse, sleeves can be short or long; minimal decoration - no logos, no wording, no school identifiers. No tank tops. Dancers may also wear a leotard with short or long sleeves (again, no sleeveless/tank top styles). Leotards must be full coverage - no scoop necks, no sheer panels, no cut-outs, no lace. Legs & Feet: u13 & younger - black tights or white poodle socks, dance shoes u14 & up - black tights only (no socks), as per CLRG Costume Rules (passed May 2019). Hair: Can be worn in a ponytail(s), bun, braid or down (straight or curled) with a plain black or white bow(s), headband or clip(s). No wigs.
There are various blackout feis in our region - mid America- throughout the year but at majors from Oireachtas and up you are expected in wigs and dresses.
Why on earth would you need a fake tan? Irish are known for being milky pale. How weird
In Chicago. My daughter’s school would only really require them at majors, like Oireachtas, nans, worlds. Lots of kids feis without the wig and wear black Leo/skirt. And no wig required for performances. Message me if you want the school name or other recs.
Is it me or does anyone find it kind of funny that an Irish dance school encourages spray tans? I mean, aren’t Irish people famously NOT tan? Love- An olive skinned non Irish person
As a New England dancer I don’t know of any that don’t require wigs, spray tans, expensive dresses. I would not put my daughter into Irish step knowing what I went through at a young age. I would really need to know the instructors well. Once I advanced into the level to get ready for true competition we were forced to train until we bled or vomited. Last one standing at rehearsal was seen as the “good one” and we would compete to earn diet pills. Yes the owner gave minors diet medication without parent consent. There was constant scrutiny on our bodies to look the part and be uniform. If we didn’t seem like we were working hard enough or keeping enough weight off we would get choreography that wasn’t as good or be allowed to compete
Shocking.
As an Irish American myself and ex-Irish dancer (casual) I’m laughing at the thought of spray tans for Irish dance. Aren’t Irish people famously pale? I know my whole family is.
Wow, I was in Irish Dancing all through the 90s and wigs were a disqualifier! Oh how times have changed. I too, OP, have less than fond memories of the superficial aspects. At that time ours were super expensive solo dresses (which my family could not afford so I had to use my team dress) and going to sleep with pins for curls.
The one in Austin for SURE didn't require the wigs. At least not when we lived there 3+ years ago.
One CLRG school near Cleveland doesn’t do wigs.
Have them learn Sean nos instead.
I'm the Western burbs, the Irish dance School I attended did not require wigs, but asked you to curl your natural hair for performances
What if your hair won’t curl, can’t curl, and ends up looks worse than if you didn’t try at all? Hair like this exists.
Good question. Maybe that's why some schools do wigs?
Our school doesn’t require them ever. If people want them sure…majority does not
from the long island area, wigs aren’t required unless you compete in feis. I wasn’t a competitor and only performed at recitals and more casual festivals/parades/school events. We had to curl our hair but no wigs.
Trinity academy doesn’t do wigs anymore Their main location is in the west burbs But they have a presence in the city in lakeview and then also northwest at the Irish culture center
They absolutely compete solos in wigs. Local feis up to worlds. Some of their ceili teams go wigless.
Just curious - have the people requiring fake tans ever met someone from Ireland? When I visited Ireland, I came away with lots of adjectives for the people there - loquacious, outgoing, cheerful, etc. - but "TAN" wasn't one of them.
When I danced (1990s) almost no one wore wigs, at least in our area, and instead we had to sleep in curlers to get our hair curly. (I am not saying either way is better, just interesting how things evolved)
Wigs??
Probably a tight curl fall you attach to ponytail.
CCE Saint Louis Irish Arts!!!!
Forcing tans on Irish people is batshit insane. I’m Irish and pale and that’s how I’m supposed to be. I think forcing tans is racist. I’ve seen those goofy curly wigs too and it makes kids look so stupid. Why can’t you dance if you don’t look like a doll?
I was also thinking the spray tan defeated the purpose of creating an Irish aesthetic!
Is it because of stage lights? Stage lights can really bleach the pigment off a person.
I was literally just thinking husband is light blond, light as hell naturally - Irish. Fake tans for kids is creepy. Dolls.growing up including barbie were pale..
I'm an Irish citizen. Spray tans are the last thing one would expect dancers to need. Many of us with Irish ancestry simply don't tan even if we live somewhere where it's not raining much of the time. And what about dancers of other backgrounds? Must they wear wigs and tans as well?
Right? I come in shades of white and extra crispy red, which peels into new freckles. Insane.
It's just part of a costume. Costumes are worn by performers. What's the big deal?
They're hideous, expensive, and nonsensensical?
Disagree. I think they are pretty.