Most people are confused with what Celtic is... Irish, Scottish etc.? There are six celtic nations, all of which are in the north-western parts of Europe. These territories are recognized through Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales. Their are a few others that can be considered a celtic territory but what makes these six so common is that each have their own traditions and even languages that are still common today.
Aside from the debate I had with my sister on whether kilts are Irish or Scottish (they are worn in both cultures) my friend and I were watching the Irish dancing and were pondering the ideas of why they dance with their arms/upper body so stiff. I've researched a little bit and found a few different answers but one that I remember hearing about and found in a book is that dancing was banned by priests and other members of higher authority during the 17th-18th century stating that the form of dance the Irish were performing was too free or provocative and the mix between the genders was not acceptable so it was banned for quite some time. The people still carried on the dancing discretely but only using the lower half of their body, so that if someone were to walk past their window of their home, like a soldier for example, it would seem that they were not moving, let alone dancing, but in reality they were just from the waist down. This then carried on as a tradition as we know today, as it was seen as an elegant and controlled way of dancing. It showed that the Irish dancer had pois and control while still having power. My favorite performance that I had the privilege of seeing live Lord of the Dance. Well that's a brief tid bit for ya, cheers. Leia Mais…
