I started at 41. I'll probably never be in a competition, but I'm having a blast and I'm proud of what I've achieved. Just have fun. That's the important thing.
Her voice is totally different than I imagined. I know that she is American and wasn't expecting an Irish accent, but for some reason I thought her voice would be higher. I like her rich, deep tone, and I think she is one of the most beautiful people on earth -- especially when she dances. Thanks for posting.
She really explains things well for a beginner like me without overdoing the details. Just gives me all the knowledge I need about every type of step in Irish dance so that I can practice on my own!
Start where you are. You can use online videos to get going. Half hour a day to begin with. You are bound to lose weight doing this and increase your strength. Practice the the various individual parts over and over slowly. I used to walk an hour to get to class and I'd be warmed up for the dancing. Don't let anything stop you from doing what you really want.
I tried this for about a year....amazing how hard on the shins Irish dance can be. It was interesting going from a clogging background to learning the origins of the dance!
I do both (ballet and Irish), and ya'll are forgetting that they're very different. A ballet dancer couldn't keep up to Irish dance; while an Irish dancer couldn't hold their positions like a ballerina could. They're too different styles of dance, and each has it own importance to it's culture. To say one is better than the other is being ignorant towards not just the artist--but also towards the culture behind it. ;)
i’ve done ballet and learning irish dancing has a lot of similarities to ballet and vice versa but they’re both beautiful and there’s no need to compare
When the Conquistadors got to the Americas they thought the indigenous culture was barbaric. When the English owned India, they called Eastern cultures barbaric. Sir Walter Scott wrote "Demonology and Witchcraft" to disprove what he believed witches believed by citing the Bible. (The redacted KJV, of course.) What jingoists humans are!
My goodness you are still a amazing cute pumpkin pie. You got me the first time in life to want to watch such things. You are by far the most graceful and charismatic of all the dancers I have ever saw. A friend of mine is a psychic that is amazingly accurate and he mentions you. I cannot say what he said due to it is not something of a great thing. However if you ever see this and nothing is working he has a answer for you. Any how you are a gift to all of mankind and your River dance performance is my favorite one. The work you ladies did on that and even the dudes I got to say was a master piece. Thank you for giving millions watching you such joy and to see hard work and dedication at its finest.
Thank you so much for uploading this! I am utterly blown away that Jean Butler is American! For over 2 decades I thought she was Irish born and bred! Same with Michael Flatley!
Thank you so much for these classes. I am from India and I am very fascinated by Irish dance. There are no classes here. Thank you for giving me my dream
I don't know your exact location, but Irish dance is quite a world well-hidden from the public. It could very well be that there is a school somewhere near you. Here in Holland I was quite surprised there were at least 4 places where you could join lessons. I started in 2011, don't be fooled, you start on soft-shoes first (but that is also a lot of fun) It takes a lot of work, but once you master the very basics and want to move on, there is a road full of surprises ahead ;)
Haha thanks. I really like the Single Jig so far (I haven't mastered all the steps yet, which hopefully follow after summer-break) Some things are quite hard at age 24 though, but I'm glad I can learn what I want to learn.
Though the very first practice she puts to display is a very good one if you don't have much strength in your feet. This turned out to be a big problem in my first 3 or 4 lessons: my feet just weren't up to the 'abuse' the had to take: this practice sure helps. For the rest it is indeed to advanced for beginners: but let's stay realistic: to me, the words 'Jean Butler' and 'Masterclass' in one sentence already make up that this won't be stuff for a beginner.
To make a long story short: I was absolutely nothing, though I am as skinny as can be, and more important: I also didn't expect I would still be dancing right now as I would find it to difficult. Now, 9 months later, I'm learning my second dance (soft-shoe only so far) and don't even want to think about quitting.
Thats good lol :) Strengthening your quads will really help. Wall sits are no fun, but they help a LOT!! Also try holding you leg as high as you can with it still straight for as long as you can, gradually upping the height and time each time you do it.
@weeardguy Oh lol I was assuming that you had been dancing for a while :) Good luck with the class! I've been Irish dancing competitively for five years and its soooo much fun :D
Quite funny: there was a girl at a try out lesson that had done ballet for years and moved on to Irish dance: she was exhausted afterwards. She expected she would cope quite easily. Instead of that, almost everything she had learned in ballet-class had gone in to the bin: she could find very little similarities.
weeardguy I did ballet for 10 years before I started Irish dancing and after my first class I could barely walk for days! It uses totally different muscle groups.
Don't let your body-weight stand in the way! I know two people that aren't the skinny type you mostly see and both got quite far in dancing. I always watch in awe when they start their hard-shoe dance(s) 'Slightly slow reflexes': Not to be rude, but I laughed at that: When I had my try-out lesson, I thought I had balance, relatively good body-condition and so on: there was nothing left of all that (or me) after I had joined 3 x 5 mins of that try out lesson.
@MissEmcat24 I always start practicing with a nice 10-15 mins of stretching, and when I finish practicing I try, if I still can, to do 60 'up & downs' on my toes... I'm just horrible at kicks at the moment: I think I can only raise to something like 75 degree....
@bombshellblonde544 Never mind. I kept reading and apparently she is American. I didn't expect that since she was in the Eurovision performance for Ireland
@MissEmcat24 I probably won't forget my try-out lesson to... I was completely exhausted after those 3 small bits of about 6 minutes (the fact that I would be confronted with my bad condition has become a reality, and I'm now stretching for life to get my legs over 90 degrees in the air... and to fight the cramp I sometimes still have...
maybe I do, but it's the same foundation, because all the "basics" she's doing is definitely what we do in ballet, then it moves on from there....5th position, ballet, pointing, ballet, etc....it's all connected
@MissEmcat24 Could very well be ;) I'm not going to attempt them, and stick with the basics I'm now learning in dance-class (first lesson tonight after a try-out lesson... can't wait)
@weeardguy Awh well keep at it! I swear, it gets easier :) Make SURE to stretch your calves, too, because they get a huge workout from being on your toes all the time. I'm in pretty good shape but mine are ginormous... I seriously cant find boots that fit me xD About the kicking: I'm not really flexible but my kicks have always been pretty good. I say the key is speed--the faster you kick, the higher you can get (dont get sloppy though lol) :)
i do ballet, and it looks literally like the same technique from what i can see so do you think that would give me an advantage if i was to start irish dancing?
Caitlin Mains In some ways yes, but there are other ways in which being too grounded in ballet technique can be a hindrance. for example, I have a really hard time not letting my heels drop on jumps because I was trained to plant my heels, not to stay up on toes. And of course hard shoe is a totally different story.
Yes and no. turn out is diff in diff positions and in irish dance you are sometimes turned in when in hard shoes cross keys for example ...ballet dancers bend slightly at the knee in landing ...irish dancers strive to land with no knee bend you have to suspend your weight in your upper body hard to explain ..also your feet and ankle have to be able to take it and be built up for landing with straight legs and how to move the muscles...my cousin did irish dance i did ballet ...it took way more of a toll on her body than ballet did on mine imo
The movements at 7:39 probably take a lot of stretching.... Now I finally know how those movements are called ;) Saw Bernadette Flynn do it and was curious how that actually works and how the movement is called.
To be honest, saying I do Irish dance is still a bit awkward for me. And that's only because I have just started: I'm now into it for about 9 months. I'm from Holland ;)
I'm a bit of a heavy set person and my reflexes aren't very quick but I'd really love to learn Irish dancing. Is it harder for a heavy set person with slightly slow reflexes to learn Irish dancing? I've never seen any heavy people doing Irish dancing.
Britnee Star I know this is a really old comment but if anyone's reading, absolutely go for it! When I compete it seems like more of the girls (at least in the oldest age group that I'm in) are heavier set rather than stick thin. You see people of all body types doing it!
@MissEmcat24 Haha no: otherwise I would have asked my teacher ;) This was the final nudge towards me searching for a school, I didn't even watch the video completely ;) I'm sure I will appreciate it to: I did enjoy the try-out lesson only watching ;) Those one-and-a-half hours were over before I knew it ;)
I started at 41. I'll probably never be in a competition, but I'm having a blast and I'm proud of what I've achieved. Just have fun. That's the important thing.
any advice for a 42 years old?
anything helpful for using hrd shoes.
Jean Butler is breathtaking. First women I fell in love with when I was 5 years old from the original Riverdance
Her voice is totally different than I imagined. I know that she is American and wasn't expecting an Irish accent, but for some reason I thought her voice would be higher. I like her rich, deep tone, and I think she is one of the most beautiful people on earth -- especially when she dances. Thanks for posting.
American and Irish people pretty much have the same accent! American people decended from the Irish!
@@dawnsavage8396 You have no idea what you are talking about.
@@dawnsavage8396 Not this American
You can hear the Irish influence of her mother in words that end in t's, like "foot" and "out"...it's that unmistakable Irish soft t sound.
She is gifted. I think she was made for Irish dancing. God bless her..
She really explains things well for a beginner like me without overdoing the details. Just gives me all the knowledge I need about every type of step in Irish dance so that I can practice on my own!
I loved watching her in Riverdance! She is fantastic and explains how to do the moves perfectly!
A reverential bow to Jean Butler, the goddess of Irish step dancing.
I've always been a tapper and ballet fanatic Jean Butler is amazing
So amazing to watch a master so effortlessly move with precision and grace. Warms my heart.!
Start where you are. You can use online videos to get going. Half hour a day to begin with. You are bound to lose weight doing this and increase your strength.
Practice the the various individual parts over and over slowly.
I used to walk an hour to get to class and I'd be warmed up for the dancing.
Don't let anything stop you from doing what you really want.
Her arch is insane!
Irish dancing is so very beautiful and your explanation of each step will help me watch it better when the dance is being done. Thank you
Jean Butler is an incredible dancer and a really good teacher. Great video!
I tried this for about a year....amazing how hard on the shins Irish dance can be. It was interesting going from a clogging background to learning the origins of the dance!
Very sensible lady. Logical thought and feet firm on the ground. In touch with reality. 👍👍👍
She is so fun to watch love irish dancing :)
I am absolutely in love with this woman, have been since I first seen Riverdance over 10 years ago.
Still would!
She's just fantastic. Talented, smart, beautiful, brilliant.
C'est une Femme sublime très très belle et une danseuse pleine de graçe , Bravo et merci Jane.
I do both (ballet and Irish), and ya'll are forgetting that they're very different. A ballet dancer couldn't keep up to Irish dance; while an Irish dancer couldn't hold their positions like a ballerina could. They're too different styles of dance, and each has it own importance to it's culture. To say one is better than the other is being ignorant towards not just the artist--but also towards the culture behind it. ;)
And what “culture” are you appropriating by saying y’all ?
pearse how is that relevant?
i’ve done ballet and learning irish dancing has a lot of similarities to ballet and vice versa but they’re both beautiful and there’s no need to compare
When the Conquistadors got to the Americas they thought the indigenous culture was barbaric. When the English owned India, they called Eastern cultures barbaric. Sir Walter Scott wrote "Demonology and Witchcraft" to disprove what he believed witches believed by citing the Bible. (The redacted KJV, of course.) What jingoists humans are!
@@patrickpearse9769 How do you know where she's from?
So proud to be an Irish dancer!! Just won the the an comhdhail world championships this week!! Sssoo happy! :)
Congratulations ❤️ !
This is amazing, I get into a huge trance by the steps and riverdance.
Jean, you are both beautiful and so very beautiful ❤️🤠
I was mesmerized when watching you dance in Riverdance
No 🇮🇪 Irish Dance without Jean ! A Queen forever !
My goodness you are still a amazing cute pumpkin pie. You got me the first time in life to want to watch such things. You are by far the most graceful and charismatic of all the dancers I have ever saw. A friend of mine is a psychic that is amazingly accurate and he mentions you. I cannot say what he said due to it is not something of a great thing. However if you ever see this and nothing is working he has a answer for you. Any how you are a gift to all of mankind and your River dance performance is my favorite one. The work you ladies did on that and even the dudes I got to say was a master piece. Thank you for giving millions watching you such joy and to see hard work and dedication at its finest.
Thank you so much for uploading this! I am utterly blown away that Jean Butler is American! For over 2 decades I thought she was Irish born and bred! Same with Michael Flatley!
Same here, just discovered this week & I've watched Riverdance since 1995
she was brout to america from ireland ... she doesnt look like a tudor for sure
Don't let that stop you! Go for it!!
You are an excellent teacher! Thanks a lot
She is a great Irish dancer in riverdance
Thank you so much for these classes. I am from India and I am very fascinated by Irish dance. There are no classes here. Thank you for giving me my dream
I too am from India and couldn't find a class where I could learn this.
I love her!! ❤
Your great Jean .
She is wonderful...
This girl knows the moves !!
I don't know your exact location, but Irish dance is quite a world well-hidden from the public. It could very well be that there is a school somewhere near you. Here in Holland I was quite surprised there were at least 4 places where you could join lessons.
I started in 2011, don't be fooled, you start on soft-shoes first (but that is also a lot of fun)
It takes a lot of work, but once you master the very basics and want to move on, there is a road full of surprises ahead ;)
i just bought this and am super excited to start it!!!
If only I could have learned this sooner, Thankyou for teaching me own heritage dance LOL
i wonder if jean actually reads any of these. she is one of the best dancers i have ever seen. .. plus she is so cute...
Jean , Femme sublime et talentueuse.
AWESOMENESS!!!
What a beautiful presentation!!
Haha thanks. I really like the Single Jig so far (I haven't mastered all the steps yet, which hopefully follow after summer-break)
Some things are quite hard at age 24 though, but I'm glad I can learn what I want to learn.
AMAZING!!!
I'm almost twenty three and am starting now.. :)
Incredible!
Класс!!! Джин!!!-я твой поклонник. ты -чудо!!!
I've taken ballet for 10+ years, I see what I see, if you can't then, it doesn't matter....
This really helped me with my school project it was fantastic thanks :) 😃😃😃😃😃
She is so pretty
she's in great shape!
That's awesome!
Wow you is very fantastic Jean Butler
espectacular! Impresionante mujer y que bella es.
awesome dancing this Oklahoma cowboy is going to learn this type of dancing.☺
You're killin' me, Jean. I've slowed it down and still can't see it.
i've never done irish dancing a day in my life but i have done ballet, and it is very similar
Though the very first practice she puts to display is a very good one if you don't have much strength in your feet. This turned out to be a big problem in my first 3 or 4 lessons: my feet just weren't up to the 'abuse' the had to take: this practice sure helps. For the rest it is indeed to advanced for beginners: but let's stay realistic: to me, the words 'Jean Butler' and 'Masterclass' in one sentence already make up that this won't be stuff for a beginner.
To make a long story short: I was absolutely nothing, though I am as skinny as can be, and more important: I also didn't expect I would still be dancing right now as I would find it to difficult.
Now, 9 months later, I'm learning my second dance (soft-shoe only so far) and don't even want to think about quitting.
What a beautiful accent
Id just like to say you are an amazing dancer and I aspire to have you skills one day!
Thats good lol :)
Strengthening your quads will really help. Wall sits are no fun, but they help a LOT!! Also try holding you leg as high as you can with it still straight for as long as you can, gradually upping the height and time each time you do it.
AMAZING GIRL
@weeardguy Oh lol I was assuming that you had been dancing for a while :) Good luck with the class! I've been Irish dancing competitively for five years and its soooo much fun :D
Quite funny: there was a girl at a try out lesson that had done ballet for years and moved on to Irish dance: she was exhausted afterwards. She expected she would cope quite easily. Instead of that, almost everything she had learned in ballet-class had gone in to the bin: she could find very little similarities.
weeardguy I did ballet for 10 years before I started Irish dancing and after my first class I could barely walk for days! It uses totally different muscle groups.
Spectacular lady
Awesome!
@weeardguy I remember my first lesson... ah those were the days :)
Don't let your body-weight stand in the way! I know two people that aren't the skinny type you mostly see and both got quite far in dancing. I always watch in awe when they start their hard-shoe dance(s)
'Slightly slow reflexes': Not to be rude, but I laughed at that: When I had my try-out lesson, I thought I had balance, relatively good body-condition and so on: there was nothing left of all that (or me) after I had joined 3 x 5 mins of that try out lesson.
last movie is was so nicee really ı like it ;)
I want to learn how to do this 😍
@MissEmcat24 I always start practicing with a nice 10-15 mins of stretching, and when I finish practicing I try, if I still can, to do 60 'up & downs' on my toes...
I'm just horrible at kicks at the moment: I think I can only raise to something like 75 degree....
Beautiful
@bombshellblonde544 Never mind. I kept reading and apparently she is American. I didn't expect that since she was in the Eurovision performance for Ireland
@thumbun Her husband is from Ireland. Maybe his accent has rubbed off on her a bit.
@MissEmcat24 I probably won't forget my try-out lesson to... I was completely exhausted after those 3 small bits of about 6 minutes (the fact that I would be confronted with my bad condition has become a reality, and I'm now stretching for life to get my legs over 90 degrees in the air... and to fight the cramp I sometimes still have...
maybe I do, but it's the same foundation, because all the "basics" she's doing is definitely what we do in ballet, then it moves on from there....5th position, ballet, pointing, ballet, etc....it's all connected
@MissEmcat24 Could very well be ;) I'm not going to attempt them, and stick with the basics I'm now learning in dance-class (first lesson tonight after a try-out lesson... can't wait)
How long have you been Irish dancing would love to learn how.
@weeardguy Awh well keep at it! I swear, it gets easier :) Make SURE to stretch your calves, too, because they get a huge workout from being on your toes all the time. I'm in pretty good shape but mine are ginormous... I seriously cant find boots that fit me xD About the kicking: I'm not really flexible but my kicks have always been pretty good. I say the key is speed--the faster you kick, the higher you can get (dont get sloppy though lol) :)
i do ballet, and it looks literally like the same technique from what i can see so do you think that would give me an advantage if i was to start irish dancing?
Caitlin Mains In some ways yes, but there are other ways in which being too grounded in ballet technique can be a hindrance. for example, I have a really hard time not letting my heels drop on jumps because I was trained to plant my heels, not to stay up on toes. And of course hard shoe is a totally different story.
dude!! I do ballet and irish!! and they help each other! btw love yr photo
Yes and no. turn out is diff in diff positions and in irish dance you are sometimes turned in when in hard shoes cross keys for example ...ballet dancers bend slightly at the knee in landing ...irish dancers strive to land with no knee bend you have to suspend your weight in your upper body hard to explain ..also your feet and ankle have to be able to take it and be built up for landing with straight legs and how to move the muscles...my cousin did irish dance i did ballet ...it took way more of a toll on her body than ballet did on mine imo
The movements at 7:39 probably take a lot of stretching....
Now I finally know how those movements are called ;) Saw Bernadette Flynn do it and was curious how that actually works and how the movement is called.
I took lessons in the '70s with May,June and Paddy Butler in Toronto ... any relation? Great lessons!
OK yes, I'm just off to find the complete beginner's videos...
this is complete beginner ...my cousin was leinster champ at one point she tried giving me lessons ....:P
Awsome
If I knew when this was all the rage that they werent Americans I'd forgotten=---she was capitvating onstage---still is in this vid!
I thought this was easy......Wow this is hard.
Is it lesson or demonstration?
Many girls who do irish dancing take ballet as a side because its helpful techniques.
To be honest, saying I do Irish dance is still a bit awkward for me. And that's only because I have just started: I'm now into it for about 9 months.
I'm from Holland ;)
Has she spent a lot of time in America? I can hear hints of an Irish accent, but she sounds very American at times as well
I'm a bit of a heavy set person and my reflexes aren't very quick but I'd really love to learn Irish dancing. Is it harder for a heavy set person with slightly slow reflexes to learn Irish dancing? I've never seen any heavy people doing Irish dancing.
Britnee Star I know this is a really old comment but if anyone's reading, absolutely go for it! When I compete it seems like more of the girls (at least in the oldest age group that I'm in) are heavier set rather than stick thin. You see people of all body types doing it!
Honey, I can barely walk!
Jean Butler is the epitome of Womanhood
@dragonballac12 me too!! ^^
@MissEmcat24 Haha no: otherwise I would have asked my teacher ;)
This was the final nudge towards me searching for a school, I didn't even watch the video completely ;)
I'm sure I will appreciate it to: I did enjoy the try-out lesson only watching ;) Those one-and-a-half hours were over before I knew it ;)
Easier said that done. (Love it and her though!!) :D
I need to private lessons from her
Watch these lessons and practice, practice, practice ... right?
@weeardguy haha they're actually a lot easier than they look ;)
Where to purchase hard heel Irish dance shoes?