Irish stepdance many this was a betrayal of tradition, but to some it was a way of expanding Irish culture and became widely accepted. Following after Riverdance was Lord of the Dance and many other theatrical productions based on Irish stepdance. Michael Flatley, an Irish stepdancer, became a well known name within these shows. Two types of shoes are worn in Irish stepdance; hard shoes, which make sounds similar to tap shoes, and soft shoes (called Ghillies), which are similar to ballet slippers. The dances for soft shoe and hard shoe are generally different and go by different names. Different music with
Irma Suarez Ruiz add new choreography works to the company’s repertoire. Ruiz continues to perform with the Ensemble Español Company throughout the season and at the annual American Spanish Dance and Music Festival. She has toured internationally with the company to Australia, Poland, Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, and China. Irma Suarez Ruiz Irma Suarez Ruiz (born 1959) is an American dancer, educator, choreographer, director, and costume designer. She is the Artistic Director for the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Illinois. Born in Chicago, Ruiz (of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent) moved to Mexico City to