Step Dancers Entertain Mount Pleasant Home Residents!

Two types of shoes are worn in step dancing: hard shoes and soft shoes. The hard shoe is similar to tap shoes, except that the tips and heels are made of fiberglass, instead of metal, and are significantly bulkier. The hard shoes were originally made of wood in the 19th century and early 20th century. The first hard shoes had wooden or leather taps with metal nails. Later the taps and heels were changed into resin or fiberglass to reduce the weight and to increase the footwork sounds. The soft shoes, which are called ghillies, resembles a ballet shoe minus the hard toe, the ribbons for laces, and the pink color for black. Ghillies are only worn by girls, while boys wear a black leather shoe called a reel shoe, which resembles a black jazz shoe with a hard heel. Boy's soft-shoe dancing features audible heel clicks.

Several generations ago, the appropriate dress for a competition was simply your "Sunday Best". In the 1970s and 1980s ornately embroidered dresses became popular. Today even more ornamentation is used on girls' dresses, including lace, sequins, silk, extensive embroidery, feathers, faux fur and more. Irish Dancing schools have school dresses, which are worn by "Beginner" through "Novice" dancers. When dancers reach a level decided by their school, may get a solo dress of their own design and colors. Today most women and girls curl their hair or wear a wig for a competition or feis (feis pronounced fesh). Today in competition, most men wear a shirt, vest, and tie assigned by their school paired with black pants or a kilt. But when they get into the higher levels, as the girls do, they get to pick their own vest, shirt and tie.