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Jig
The jig (Irish: port, Scottish Gaelic: port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It first gained popularity across the British Isles in the 16th-century, and was adopted on mainland Europe where it eventually became the final movement of the mature Baroque dance suite (the French gigue; Italian and Spanish giga). Today it is most associated with Irish dance music, Scottish country dance, French Canadian traditionnal music and dance (trad) and the Métis people in Canada. Jigs were originally in quadruple compound metre, (e.g., 12
8 time), but have been adapted to a variety of time signatures, by which they are often classified into groups, including double jigs (6
8), slip jigs (9
8) and single jigs (12
8).
The term jig was probably derived from the French giguer, meaning 'to jump' or the Italian giga. The use of 'jig' in Irish dance derives from the Irish jigeánnai, itself borrowed from the Old English giga meaning 'old dance'. It was known as a dance in 16th-century England, often in 12
8 time, and the term was used for a post-play entertainment featuring dance in early modern England, but which 'probably employed a great variety
of dances, solo (suitable for jigs), paired, round, country or courtly'; in Playford's Dancing Master (1651) 'the dance game in "Kemps Jegg" is a typical scenario from a dramatic jig and it is likely that the combination of dance metre for steps and non-metrical passages for pantomime indicates how a solo or ensemble jig might have been danced by stage players.' Later the dance began to be associated with music particularly in 6
8 time, and with slip jigs 9
8 time.
During the middle of the 16th century the dance was adopted in Ireland and in the 17th century Scotland, where it was widely adapted, and the jig is now most often associated with these countries, especially Ireland. The jig is second in popularity only to the reel in traditional Irish dance; it is popular but somewhat less common in Scottish country dance music. It is transcribed in compound metre, being 6
8 time. The most common structure of a jig is two eight-bar parts, performing two different steps, each once on the right foot, and one on the left foot. As with most other types of dance tunes in Irish music, at a session or a dance it is common for two or more jigs to be strung together in a set, flowing on without interruption.
The following distinction is primarily observed in modern competitive Irish dance and should not be confused with the general notion of how the jigs are played and classified among traditional Irish musicians.
A light jig is the second-fastest of all jigs. The performer's feet rarely leave the ground for long, as the step is fast, typically performed at a speed around 116 at feiseanna. There are several light jig steps, varying with each dance school, but the rising step, or the rise and grind, is standard in almost all light jigs. The right side version of the rising step is performed by putting weight on the left foot, lifting the right foot off the ground then hopping on the left foot once. Hop on the left foot again, bringing the right foot back behind the left foot and then shift the weight onto the right foot, leaving the left foot in the air. Dancers use the phrase "hop, hop back" for these three movements, and there is a slight pause between the hop, and hop back. The next movement is a hop on the right foot. Then shift the weight, left-right-left-right. The phrase for this whole movement is: "hop, hop back, hop back 2-3." To do the step on the left foot, reverse the left and right directions.
Slip jigs are in 9
8 time. Because of the longer measures, they are longer than the reel and the light jig, with the same number of bars to the music. The dance is performed high on the toes, and is often considered the "ballet of Irish dance" because of its graceful movements that seem to slip the performers across the floor. Slip jigs are performed at a speed of 113 bpm at feiseanna.
Single jigs should not be confused with slides; they are the least common of the jigs, performed in ghillies, in a 6
8 or less commonly a 12
8 time. Musically, the single jig tends to follow the pattern of a quarter note followed by an eighth note (twice per 6
8 bar), whereas the pattern for the double jig is three eighth notes twice per 6
8 bar.
Hop jigs are the fastest of all jigs next to light jigs, but the term hop jig causes some confusion, as some people use it for a single jig, while others use this term to refer to a tune in 9
8 time.
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Jig
The jig (Irish: port, Scottish Gaelic: port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It first gained popularity across the British Isles in the 16th-century, and was adopted on mainland Europe where it eventually became the final movement of the mature Baroque dance suite (the French gigue; Italian and Spanish giga). Today it is most associated with Irish dance music, Scottish country dance, French Canadian traditionnal music and dance (trad) and the Métis people in Canada. Jigs were originally in quadruple compound metre, (e.g., 12
8 time), but have been adapted to a variety of time signatures, by which they are often classified into groups, including double jigs (6
8), slip jigs (9
8) and single jigs (12
8).
The term jig was probably derived from the French giguer, meaning 'to jump' or the Italian giga. The use of 'jig' in Irish dance derives from the Irish jigeánnai, itself borrowed from the Old English giga meaning 'old dance'. It was known as a dance in 16th-century England, often in 12
8 time, and the term was used for a post-play entertainment featuring dance in early modern England, but which 'probably employed a great variety
of dances, solo (suitable for jigs), paired, round, country or courtly'; in Playford's Dancing Master (1651) 'the dance game in "Kemps Jegg" is a typical scenario from a dramatic jig and it is likely that the combination of dance metre for steps and non-metrical passages for pantomime indicates how a solo or ensemble jig might have been danced by stage players.' Later the dance began to be associated with music particularly in 6
8 time, and with slip jigs 9
8 time.
During the middle of the 16th century the dance was adopted in Ireland and in the 17th century Scotland, where it was widely adapted, and the jig is now most often associated with these countries, especially Ireland. The jig is second in popularity only to the reel in traditional Irish dance; it is popular but somewhat less common in Scottish country dance music. It is transcribed in compound metre, being 6
8 time. The most common structure of a jig is two eight-bar parts, performing two different steps, each once on the right foot, and one on the left foot. As with most other types of dance tunes in Irish music, at a session or a dance it is common for two or more jigs to be strung together in a set, flowing on without interruption.
The following distinction is primarily observed in modern competitive Irish dance and should not be confused with the general notion of how the jigs are played and classified among traditional Irish musicians.
A light jig is the second-fastest of all jigs. The performer's feet rarely leave the ground for long, as the step is fast, typically performed at a speed around 116 at feiseanna. There are several light jig steps, varying with each dance school, but the rising step, or the rise and grind, is standard in almost all light jigs. The right side version of the rising step is performed by putting weight on the left foot, lifting the right foot off the ground then hopping on the left foot once. Hop on the left foot again, bringing the right foot back behind the left foot and then shift the weight onto the right foot, leaving the left foot in the air. Dancers use the phrase "hop, hop back" for these three movements, and there is a slight pause between the hop, and hop back. The next movement is a hop on the right foot. Then shift the weight, left-right-left-right. The phrase for this whole movement is: "hop, hop back, hop back 2-3." To do the step on the left foot, reverse the left and right directions.
Slip jigs are in 9
8 time. Because of the longer measures, they are longer than the reel and the light jig, with the same number of bars to the music. The dance is performed high on the toes, and is often considered the "ballet of Irish dance" because of its graceful movements that seem to slip the performers across the floor. Slip jigs are performed at a speed of 113 bpm at feiseanna.
Single jigs should not be confused with slides; they are the least common of the jigs, performed in ghillies, in a 6
8 or less commonly a 12
8 time. Musically, the single jig tends to follow the pattern of a quarter note followed by an eighth note (twice per 6
8 bar), whereas the pattern for the double jig is three eighth notes twice per 6
8 bar.
Hop jigs are the fastest of all jigs next to light jigs, but the term hop jig causes some confusion, as some people use it for a single jig, while others use this term to refer to a tune in 9
8 time.
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