Stepping into the Shoes

Hey there Readers,

    This post is going to take a further look into the foot wear the dancers wear while performing in Riverdance. These shoes are unique in both the material from which they are made and way they are constructed so that they produce the signature sound that the dancers strive to achieve  from their feet.  Most of these special shoes are still handmade to this day in order to attain the perfect precision of fit and sound. The shoes were, and some continue to be, made of calf leather and metal nails. There are an increased flattened toe box and a metal heel for the intensifying click. Some important aspects of the shoes include the flexibility, durability and support.

         

    There are also two types of shoes. The hard shoes or ‘jig shoes’ which are best described to be the dancing shoe of Riverdance and the soft shoe which are called the ‘Ghillies or reel shoes or pumps.’ The soft shoe is a more form fitting shoe. The sole is much more flexible. Just the way Lauren had quickly described it earlier in one of our blog posts! The hard shoe is the more common one that we have described in the beginning of the post. Wide heel and toe box that produce a loud click and tick with each step and movement. The material has changed just a tad. There is less metal and more fiberglass material. What is very interesting is that there is no multiple type of hard toes shoes. They come in squared and rounded toed.

    The heel of the shoe is about two inches high! And when I mentioned that the toe box was flattened that is because some shoes have a fiberglass toe box which offers more support while the dancers perform the toe stances and jumps.

    However, these shoes are handmade and customized for each dancer.  Keep in mind these shoes take a very long time to “break in.” Some research even states that when the dancer is maintaining and breaking their own shoes in, the shoes look like they had been run over by a truck. Wow, it is incredible how precise shoe wear can be. The shoes cannot be to lose or the foot of the dancer would not have enough support. However, the shoe cannot be too stiff or the dancer would not have enough flexibility while completing the performance.  Dancers also travel with multiple pairs of shoes!

On the left below is a picture 

of what a hard shoe would look like.

On  the right is an example of the soft shoe.

                               

"Show Guide for Riverdance." — Popejoy Presents. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://popejoypresents.com/performance-guides/show-guide-for-riverdance>.

VanderWerf, Pamela. "The Different Riverdance Shoes." EHow. Demand Media, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ehow.com/info_12264166_different-riverdance-shoes.html>.

"Irish Dancing Shoes - Buy Irish Dancing Shoes on Line from Ireland." Irish Dancing Shoes - Buy Irish Dancing Shoes on Line from Ireland. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.fays-shoes.com/>.

-Shannon B