My aunts taught Irish dancing for many years, up until the 1960s. In those days, the girls' dresses were simple, lightweight affairs, with some celtic embroidery; my aunts did the embroidery themselves, and it consisted of a main design on the front, a smaller design on the sleeves, and a border around the hem and neck, I think. Plus the shawl affair at the back (does this have a name?). There was no stiffening in the dress or shawl. By the time my daughter was dancing, from the mid- 80s, the dresses had become a commercial concern, and were selling for £200 - £300; the embroidery was machined, and such things as applique and mirror beads were creeping in, along with parrots and other non-celtic elements. They also weighed a ton, and seemed to be lined with cardboard - they would stand up unassisted. She dropped out when she went to college in the late 90s, by which time the wigs were creeping in. Now, the dresses seldom - if ever - seem to have any celtic motifs, make-up is de rigeur, along with fake tan on legs, and the wigs seem to be a requirement; my surviving aunt heard of a couple of girls (in Belfast, I think) who refused to wear the wigs, and were barred from entering a competition without them. None of this has anything whatsoever to do with the dancing, or with traditional culture, and it would be a real shame - a disgrace, in fact - if children were being put off, or prevented by poverty, from getting involved because of this nonsense. None of this affects the boys, of course.....
What to do about it? Well, I think that parents and dance teachers need to get together a petition and make representations to the Irish Dance Commission, or whatever they are calling themselves these days (no doubt somebody will correct me if I'm out of date here!). Or maybe a joint letter to The Irish Times, signed by a number of parents/teachers might do some good. If enough fuss was made, the press may well make a campaign out of it.
John Kelly.