So people wanted to see some Inish and Highland dances, too...
Folk Dances of the Triple Kingdom
(It's really best to just lump them together like that, unless you want to start a fight between the Inish and the Highlanders over who invented the jig and the reel.)
Céilí dance:
An Inish social dance style. It has certain similarities to Avalonian
Country Dance, but the figures are generally more complex and do not
involve the verse-refrain structure.
Base TN: 20 if known, 25 otherwise
Raises: As for Avalonian Country Dance
Failure: As for Avalonian Country Dance
Sean-nós dancing:
The Inish say that they developed this dance style, with the upper body
held still and the legs going a mile a minute, to fool their Avalonian
overlords when Inish music and dance were outlawed at various times
during the occupation(s) of the isle. Avalonian sheriffs would look
through the windows and see the tops of the Inish moving smoothly
around the room and think that they were just walking around. Anyone
who retorts that someone would have to be exceptionally stupid to fall
for that gets a pat on the back for getting the point. Sean-nós can be
danced in soft or hard shoes; in the latter, the dancers' feet make a
percussive racket.
Base TN: 20
Raises: More elaborate footwork or more precise footwork
Failure: The dancer's feet get out of time; this is especially noticeable if he is wearing hard shoes.
Jig:
In this lively dance, performed quickly to fast 6/8 music, the dancer
makes little hops twice one foot, switches to the other foot for
another hop, and then performs a sort of wiggle as she shifts her
weight back and forth between her feet. This "wiggle" sets her up to
repeat the jig step starting on the opposite foot.
Base TN: 15 unless the musicians are feeling frisky; then 20 to keep up
Raises: The dancer seems incredibly light and bouncy, moving effortlessly in time to the music
Failure:
The weight shifting goes askew, and the dancer finds herself with her
weight on the right when she's supposed to be hopping on the left, or
visa versa; or, the dancer simply can't keep up with the lightning-fast
music.
Strathspey:
A slower, more stately Highland social dance, featuring the "Highland
snap," a melody pattern of a short note before a longer dotted note.
Unlike céilí and Avalonian Country Dance, the basic "traveling steps"
of the strathspey are not simple walking steps, but more complicated
choreography.
Base TN: 20 if known, 25 otherwise
Raises:
As Avalonian Country Dance, and: The Highlanders place a high premium
on precision footwork, even in their social dances. Elegant and correct
positioning is looked upon favorably.
Failure:
In addition to the usual hazards of destroying a social dance figure, a
dancer may have sloppy footwork. Also, ornate embellishments of the
steps are seen as self-aggrandizement and are frowned upon.
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