Dances today have more intricate footwork than dances from years ago. Hard shoe dances done in competition are jigs and hornpipes. The hornpipe is initially English, and began around 1760. Now, however, it is just as common to see a female dance a hornpipe. In hard shoe dancing, adjudicators look for a dancer to be strong yet at the same time graceful.
Hard shoes have fiberglass tips and heels, the same kind of heels as boy s light shoes.
Dancers must get every beat or treble of the feet out, and hit all the clicks. Popular movements in hard shoe dances today are toe stands. For these, dancers must have a good arch in their shoes, which enables them to stand on just the very tip of these shoes. People who see Irish dancing for the first time often think that like toe shoes in ballet, there is wood in the shoes to help keep up on their toes. Another kind of hard shoe dance is a set dance.