Sean-nós dance

Old style dancing

The Irish phrase sean nós means old style, and it names both this dance and an older way of singing. Damhsa ar an sean nós is therefore dancing in the old manner. It is a solo tradition, usually performed by one person at a time, and it is casual rather than competitive. Historians of Irish music and ethnomusicologists have written it down, but it was never only a memory: it still turns up in parts of the Irish music scene, where dancers and musicians keep it going.

How it is danced

Footwork stays close to the ground and the steps are made up on the spot rather than fixed beforehand. Personal style matters more than a uniform look, so dancers rarely perform in unison; they take turns, answering the energy of whoever went before. Arms swing with the rhythm or rest loosely at the side. The batter, a heavier strike, marks the accented beat. Any flat surface can serve: a wooden floor, a door taken off its hinges, a table, a barrel, even a stool top. A small space tests the dancer's control.

Contrast with stepdance

Irish stepdance is the formal, competitive cousin, and sean-nós dance probably influenced it. Stepdancers wear stylised costumes, kick high, keep their arms rigid and hold themselves upright. Sean-nós dancers have no such rules. They wear whatever they happen to have on, stand only as straight as the steps require, and let the arms move. Shoes are a personal choice too, though many pick something that can rap out a percussive sound. Patrick O'Dea treats the two as separate dances, one an old style and one a newer variation.

Competition and change

Competitions, stage shows and teaching that copies one dancer after another have produced standard old style steps, which sits oddly with a form built on improvisation. The same steps now appear again and again at competitions, along with a set of standard tunes. Many leading dancers have taken up tap shoes, which alters both the sound and the look of the dancing. Old style dance can still be sorted into three looser kinds: wholly improvised, a mix of improvisation and personal steps, and fully choreographed pieces.

In the diaspora

Irish emigrants carried the dance with them. It has left marks on other solo traditions, among them tap dance and the informal freeform solo folk dancing of America. In the United States and Canada it is most often seen at folk festivals and at informal Irish music sessions, sometimes mixed with casual stepdancing and other regional styles. American sean-nós dancing has also absorbed influences from other dance cultures it met there. Dance workshops in America have begun to teach the style to a wider circle.

How Sean-nós dance is kept

Usually one dancer at a time, at an informal session or festival, with a musician or band playing a lively tune. The dancer chooses steps as the music goes, keeping the feet low and driving the accented beat with a batter. Arms move with the rhythm rather than staying rigid. In a small group, dancers take turns, each responding to the one before. Solo performances have often happened in cramped spots, such as on a half-door or a table. In America and Canada the setting is typically a folk festival or a session, sometimes alongside casual stepdancing.

When and where

There is no fixed date. Sean-nós dancing belongs to informal Irish music sessions and folk festivals all year round, and to the competitions and workshops that have grown up around it. One dance competition and workshop, Comórtas Damhsa Chóilín Sheáin Dharach, is held every year in Ros Muc in Conamara.

It belongs to Ireland, where it survives in parts of the Irish music scene, and it travelled with Irish emigrants to the United States and Canada. There it is seen at folk festivals and informal sessions. Comórtas Damhsa Chóilín Sheáin Dharach takes place in Ros Muc, Conamara, and a festival called Sean-nós Northwest is held in America.

What Sean-nós dance means

For the people who keep it, the dance is a claim about how tradition lives: not as a fixed routine but as something each dancer makes again in the moment. Spontaneous expression is what is prized, and personal style is the mark of a good dancer. A small floor, a door or a table is not a limitation but a test, and old accounts remember dancers who could work in a space no wider than a tray.

Questions people ask about Sean-nós dance

See also

Morris danceA rhythmic English folk dance performed in costume with bells, sticks and handkerchiefsDragon danceA long dragon puppet on poles, danced by a team at Chinese New Year and other festivalsTiniklingA Philippine folk dance where dancers step between clapping bamboo polesPlenaPuerto Rican folk songs and dance sharing community news with rhythmic frame drums

Good reading and sources

• Sean-nós dance on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.