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
Helen Balfour Morrison was able to "photograph the soul." In 1942, Morrison met dancer and choreographer Sybil Shearer. From that point forward, her work became more focused on documenting Shearer's life and work through an extraordinary production of photographs and films. As time went by, Morrison de-emphasized her own career to help manage and promote Shearer's affairs. The Morrison-Shearer Film Collection, which is administered by the Chicago Film Archives, contains over 400 16 mm films, nearly 200 8 mm films, and 200 quarter-inch audio reels. The Morrison-Shearer Foundation, was established in 1991 and is based in their home in Northbrook, Illinois. Helen Balfour