Students at Mainland Regional High School had an entirely different educational experience this week in preparation for St. Patrick's Day as Mainland Senior Gwen Resch demonstrated her skills in Irish step dancing.

Perhaps nothing is more easily identified as part of Irish culture than step dance. With its strength of rhythm and grace in execution, Irish immigrants brought the dance with them when they settled in America.

According to Love to Know.com,  step dance is an Irish tradition that was once predominantly male but is now almost exclusively female. Today, Irish dancers are encouraged to utilize all space of a stage, while in prior centuries this was discouraged due to a lack of ample room to dance.

Courtesy of Love to Know, here are basic instruction on how to try your own step dancing this St. Patrick's Day.

  1. Point your right foot as you raise it up and hop with your left leg.
  2. Hop with your left leg again, then bring your right leg behind your left one
  3. As you place your right foot behind your left foot, transfer all your weight to your left foot.
  4. Now hop with your right leg and bring your left foot behind you.
  5. Bring your left foot behind you while you raise your right foot in the air.
  6. Point your right foot and bring it down again

Here's Mainland's Gwen Resch demonstrating how its done...

 

More From WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM