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
Alan Howard (dancer) Alan Howard (dancer) Alan Howard (1931-2003) was an American ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher. He was a lead dancer for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Alan Howard in 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. He learned ballet from Edna McRae. He became a dancer for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1949, soon becoming lead dancer, or "premier danseur". He left the company in 1960. He was later a dancer for the Mia Slavenska Ballet, the New York City Ballet, and the Radio City Music Hall. He established the Pacific Ballet Academy in San Francisco, California. He choreographed and produced