Irish identity and the modern step dancing costume

Abstract

The early step dancing costume was developed in concurrence with the Celtic Revival as a response to the need for visible national identity. Today's step dancing costume, by contrast, stresses the individual, looking outward to more global influences. As an academic subject, the Irish step dancing costume is often overlooked, resulting in very little field research and analysis on the topic. I aim to achieve the following: catalog and analyze the mdoern motifs and evolving dress forms; investigate the genesis of the new forms and motifs; record methods of design and production; and finally, discuss the relationship between the modern costume and new concepts of Irish identity.