Irish Soft Shoe sterling silver clip charm .925 Ireland Dancing Shoes

This is a lovely sterling silver charm of an Irish styled soft Dance shoe on a clip fitting. Irish dancing is known for its lightning-fast footwork, upright posture and arms held still at the sides. This sterling silver charm celebrates the tradition with a detailed Irish soft shoe, the ghillie that dancers rely on for graceful, springy steps. The soft shoe is made from supple black leather and laced criss-cross over the top of the foot. It’s designed to be flexible and silent, so dancers can leap high, point their toes and land lightly. It’s worn for the reel, the light jig and the slip jig, which are dances that show off elegance and height. Its partner, the hard shoe, is saved for the rhythmic treble jig and hornpipe. Irish dance goes back centuries. In the 18th century travelling dancing masters moved from village to village teaching steps. In the late 1800s the Gaelic League helped formalise the style as part of a wider revival of Irish culture. Today dancers compete at events called feiseanna, and the style became famous worldwide in 1994 when Riverdance took the stage as the interval act at the Eurovision Song Contest. Made from solid 925 sterling silver, this soft shoe charm is a meaningful gift for Irish dancers young and old. You could give it to celebrate a first feis, a new grade, a medal or a championship, or for St Patrick’s Day. Add it to a charm bracelet to honour the hours of practice, the pride of performing and a love of Irish heritage.