A fast, flowing Irish solo dance in 4/4 time, performed in soft shoes and judged on timing, posture and the lightness of the footwork.
The reel is one of the core solo steps of Irish dancing. It is danced in 4/4 time to a steady, driving tune, and it is a light-shoe dance: the dancer wears soft shoes and the steps are quick, rounded and travelling, with the arms held still and straight at the sides. Because there is no stamping, the sound of the dance is the rhythm of the music and the faint tap of soft shoes, so timing shows immediately.
A reel round is short and tightly controlled. Dancers are called to the stage in small groups of the same age, usually two or three at a time, and each group dances the set steps in turn to the musician or recording while a panel of adjudicators watches from the front. Entrants dance a prepared sequence of steps rather than something improvised; the organiser fixes the tempo and the number of bars, so every dancer is judged against the same music.
In the feis format reproduced in this template, the competition is Individual and open to boys and girls together, with separate age groups from Under 6 up to Under 19 plus a Senior group. A dancer competes in their own age group, and the age group is separate from the competitive grade they have reached: a young dancer and an older beginner can sit in different grades even though they share a stage. Each adjudicator marks out of 100.
Organisers run the reel because it is the natural opening item of a dancing day. It is short enough to run many age groups back to back, it is the first dance most beginners learn, and its scoring is easy to compare across large numbers of entries. It also tells a panel a great deal about a dancer in under a minute: posture, turnout, timing and lightness are all visible in a single step.
Where Reel is run
The reel is run at Irish dancing competitions called feiseanna, and in this template it comes from a feis syllabus built around age groups and competitive grades. It is usually the first item of the dancing day for each age group. Beyond feiseanna, the same dance appears at Irish cultural festivals, school and community dance shows, and diaspora events where a dance school enters its pupils.
- Ireland
- Irish dance communities worldwide
Key facts
- Individual item, boys and girls together
- Age groups from Under 6 to Under 19, plus a Senior group
- Danced in 4/4 time in soft shoes, with a prepared sequence of steps
- Marked out of 100 by each adjudicator
- Competitive grade is separate from age: dancers progress through grades regardless of how old they are
- Preliminary and Open Championship rounds use a panel of at least three adjudicators
On eTalenter, Reel is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Reel is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 10 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Reel
What a Reel panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Timing: every step must land on the beat and finish with the musical phrase, and dancers who drift ahead of or behind the tune lose marks quickly.
- Posture and carriage: an upright, lifted body with still arms held straight at the sides; swinging or tense arms are among the most visible faults.
- Footwork quality: crisp, pointed toes, good turnout and a light, springy touch on the floor rather than heavy landings.
- Rhythm and attack: the steps should have a clear, lively rhythm and travel across the stage without losing shape.
- Stage use and presentation: dancing to the front, covering the stage space evenly and finishing cleanly on the final beat.
- Consistency across the round: the same standard in the second half of the step as in the first, since tired legs show in the final bars.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Reel under Scoring Setup, or start from the full folk dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Reel
How entrants and their teachers usually get Reel right on the day:
- Drill the basic reel rhythm slowly to a metronome, then raise the tempo only once the timing is clean at the slow speed.
- Practise on a hard floor in soft shoes so the weight of the landing is the same as on competition day.
- Film each practice and check posture and arm position; most faults are easier to spot on video than in a mirror.
- Work on turnout and straight knees in daily short sessions, as flexibility and strength build gradually.
- Rehearse the exact step sequence and length the organiser sets, ending cleanly on the last beat rather than guessing the finish.
- Learn to dance in a small group on a stage, since the two or three other dancers beside you change the spacing and the pace.
Ready-made event templates that include Reel
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feis – Irish Dancing (CLRG) | On Stage | Marks | 15 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Reel judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is a reel danced in hard shoes or soft shoes?
The reel is a soft-shoe dance. Hard shoes are used for other items such as the hornpipe and set dances. The sound in a reel comes from the music and the light touch of the shoes.
Does the competitive grade depend on age?
No. In the feis format used here, age groups and competitive grades are separate. A dancer competes in their own age group, but moves up the grades by results rather than by birthday.
How many adjudicators mark a reel round?
The format marks each dancer out of 100 by each adjudicator, and Preliminary and Open Championship rounds use at least three. Smaller rounds may use fewer.
Is the reel judged individually or as a team?
Individually. Dancers may take the stage in a group of two or three for practical reasons, but each is marked on their own performance.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full folk dance judging criteria guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
Try Reel in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Reel, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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