Steps, style and sensing the difference: an examination of Molyneaux's traditional set dances within competition culture

In this paper I examine the appropriation of one particular version of solo traditional set dances from the region of North Kerry, Ireland, by teachers of competitive step dancing and by competitive step dancers for competition. These set dances are the Blackbird and Saint Patrick's Day; they were choreographed by Jeremiah Molyneaux, the last of the itinerant dancing masters of North Kerry (circa 1881-1965) (see Foley 2013). Different versions of these dances existed within the traditional practice of the region, and the objective of the paper is to enquire into the reasoning behind the appropriation of one version of these dances and how competitive step dance teachers and dancers learned to embody them as representative of a regional step dance style. The paper argues that competitive dancers might benefit from theoretical and proprioceptive training in the stylistic embodiment of these solo set dances.