Bust Out Your Best Irish Jig For St. Patrick's Day

Avoid Embarrassment by showing off a basic Irish jig with the help of Murphy Irish Arts Center founder and director Sheila Murphy Crawford.

Start standing straight with your shoulders back and arms at your side. “Always dance on your toes, without your heels touching the ground,” she says. 

Step one: the Sink  
With your right foot in front of your left foot, jump keeping both feet where they are: “Even though they call it a sink,” she says, “don’t bend your knees or lower down to the jump.”

Step two: the Rise 
Hop on your left foot, and simultaneously lift your right foot up to your left knee. Bring your right foot backward and place it behind your left. “Hop when your foot reaches your side on its way back,” she says.

Step three: the Grind 
With your right foot behind your left foot, take four alternating steps in place — right, left, right, left. “Those are tiny steps, and they’re pretty quick: one, two, three, four,” she says.

Complete all three steps. After three cycles, repeat the steps with your left foot as the lead. “In Irish dance, the steps are always done on the right foot first,” she says, “and then repeated on the left foot.”