# Why don't they move their arms in Irish step dancing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943 "2014-06-03T18:27:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/1 "2014-06-03T18:27:15Z")
Usually the arms are either on the hips or just hanging down next to them like useless logs. Its such an unnaturally fixed position that it seems like there should be a reason why its that way. Contrast that with regular tap dancers who swing their arms around and you can see a big difference ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/2 "2014-06-03T18:54:33Z")
traditionally both hands had a whiskey bottle requiring the hand motion not be wild. it allows people to dance together in greater number in a given area. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/3 "2014-06-03T18:55:10Z")
From the wiki page: [Irish stepdance - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_stepdance) > [@](#): > > One explanation for the unique habit of keeping the hands and upper body stiff relates to the stage. To get a hard surface to dance on, people would often unhinge doors and lay them on the ground. Since this was clearly a very small “stage,” there was no room for arm movement. The solo dances are characterised by quick, intricate movements of the feet. > > Sometime in that decade or the one following, a dance teacher had his students compete with arms held firmly down to their sides, hands in fists, to call more attention to the intricacy of the steps. The adjudicator approved by placing the students well. Other teachers and dancers quickly followed the new trend. Movement of the arms is sometimes incorporated into modern Irish stepdance, although this is generally seen as a hybrid and non-traditional addition and is only done in shows and performances, not competitions. Another explanation from a different cite: [http://www.richenstimm.com/pdf/information/richens-haurin\_brief\_history\_irish\_dance.pdf](http://www.richenstimm.com/pdf/information/richens-haurin_brief_history_irish_dance.pdf) > [@](#): > > Dance styles have also > changed; for example, arms and hands were not > always held rigid during solo dances. Previously > they were sometimes more relaxed and were > even placed on hips. It seems that the influence > of parish priests led to the lack of arm movement; > some argue that stiff arms were less provocative, > others argue that the Church was trying to increase > dancers’ self control. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/4 "2014-06-03T18:58:01Z")
The explanation I’ve heard is that it would prevent a busybody looking in the windows of a house from realizing that (gasp!) dancing was going on inside. Take this with the same grain of salt as any folklore explanations, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/5 "2014-06-03T19:10:53Z")
Pre-deodorant origins. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/6 "2014-06-03T19:14:19Z")
We dance like we have sex. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/7 "2014-06-03T19:56:37Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > We dance like we have sex. Come now, I’ve seen Irish dances last longer than five minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/8 "2014-06-03T20:01:05Z")
What’s up with those curly wigs? ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/9 "2014-06-03T20:58:12Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > traditionally both hands had a whiskey bottle requiring the hand motion not be wild. The joke I always heard was “leave it to the Irish to invent a dance where you wouldn’t spill your drink”. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/10 "2014-06-04T00:29:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The explanation I’ve heard is that it would prevent a busybody looking in the windows of a house from realizing that (gasp!) dancing was going on inside. > > Take this with the same grain of salt as any folklore explanations, of course. Specifically, according to my very Irish boss, it’s so the English, who had outlawed dancing, wouldn’t know what was going on when they looked in the windows. Strangely enough, these Australians [seems to agree](http://www.royalsouthstreet.com.au/irish). > [@](#): > > No more was there carefree celtic cavorting at the village crossroads. Instead the Irish kept their favourite dances alive secretly, at night, in the country. They met covertly in farmhouses. Houses were tiny by our standards, a kitchen and 1 or 2 bedrooms. A company of dancers crammed into the claustrophobic confines of a celtic kitchen, could only form a line, keep their arms tight by their sides, and do steps & kicks to the front. Thus the free wheeling energetic Irish dance of old, was compressed and redirected into a more rigid format. Tight arms and body, with nimble skilful footwork. The new Dance became their hidden national pride, their secret rebellion against the English. I’ve also heard that there are no good Irish hymns because the Catholics had to hold Mass in secret. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/11 "2014-06-04T21:25:23Z")
Well, yes, I was just considering it a given that everything in Irish history that’s to be blamed on anyone is the fault of the English. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/12 "2014-06-04T22:38:50Z")
Whenever I see that type of dancing, it makes me think of zombies for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/13 "2014-06-04T23:27:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Whenever I see that type of dancing, it makes me think of zombies for some reason. And when I saw your post, I immediately checked to see whne the thread was started. 😛 It was yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/14 "2014-06-05T00:42:38Z")
> [@green bean](#): > > and when i saw your post, i immediately checked to see whne the thread was started. 😛 > > it was yesterday. Heh. GMTA! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/15 "2014-06-05T13:17:16Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > And when I saw your post, I immediately checked to see whne the thread was started. 😛 > > It was yesterday. Ha! Nope, they just look to me like I would imagine the undead doing a jig. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-move-their-arms-in-irish-step-dancing/689943/16 "2014-06-05T14:07:13Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > We dance like we have sex. With your legs crossed at the ankles? :dubious: