How to put on a bun wig irish dance
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Here is a guide for dancers and parents who are new to Irish dance wigs and need some help getting the right wig.
Buns and Full Length Wigs..
Wigs are normally divided into two main types of wigs; bun wigs and full length wigs.
Bun wigs are bun shaped and typically sit on the back of the head over the dancer's normal hair (or over a donut but we will come on to that!). Full length wigs usually come down to, or below the shoulder line and are available in varying lengths, so think of the height of the dancer when choosing the length (younger dancers typically look better in the medium length full wigs).
Bun Wig
Full Length Wig
Both styles are worn by dancers of all ages and which one to go for is a matter of personal preference. Ceili teams often opt for the same type of wig as this can look better on stage.
Donuts..
You will see some of the product descriptions mention donuts. No they are not the donuts you might buy in a bakery.
Hair donuts are the same shape as the sugary kind but made of lightweight sponge. They are used by dancers who want more height or volume for their wig.
The dancer's natural hair is pulled into a small pony tail and is threaded through the donut and pinned. This creates more bulk for the wig to sit on. Hair donuts are available in different sizes and in a few colours so dancers can match it to their normal hair colour and create the effect they are looking for.
Example of dancer with a double donut.
Not all wigs can be used with a donut so check out the product description to make sure the wig you like can work with one. There are lots of tutorials on You Tube if you want some help on how to use one!
The curls..
Different wigs have different styles of curls. The traditional Irish dance wig such as the Vivien full length wig or the Shelly bun wig have tighter ringlet curls and is how some people picture traditional Irish dancers.
Other styles such as the Michaela full length wig or the Keara bun wig have a looser wave curl. Both styles are worn by dancers of all ages so just go for the style you like the most.
Traditional Curl
Looser Curl
Some styles have more curls than others. For example the Keara Double Curl has more volume and slightly longer curls than the Keara Single Curl.
The colours..
You don't necessarily need to pick a wig colour which matches your natural hair colour as you can spray colour any exposed natural hair at the front of the wig to compliment your choice of wig colour. However if you want a simple to apply wig which needs minimal post fitting work then pick a complimentary colour to the dancers natural hair colour so you do not need to spray colour the natural hair at the front.
It is also worth thinking about the dancer's skin tone when choosing a colour. Remember it is the skin tone you 'wear' on stage that matters so if you self tan then think of that colour when choosing your wig.
Another thing to keep in mind is the colour of the dress. Team dancers may choose to co-ordinate wig colours to maximise the wow factor on stage.
We have put together a colour chart of the different wig colours to help you decide the best colour for you. Please note that not all colour options are available for every style of wig. If your preferred colour is not available then choose the closest one to it.
Click here to view your wig colour options.
Keeping the wig in place..
All of our wigs come with two combs, one at the front and one at the back to fix the wig through the dancer's natural hair. Some styles also come with elastic draw strings for additional security.
One of the wig combs used to secure the wig in place.
Bobby pins are your friend here and they should be a key part of your feis bag. Once the wig is fitted on the head use plenty of bobby pins to fix the wig securely in place. Bobby pins come in different lengths depending on what you need.
If in doubt use another pin! We recommend that you use U-shaped bobby pins if you need to fix through the wig. Only use normal bobby pins on the side of the wig to clamp it on.
Normal Bobby Pins to use at the sides to clamp wig on.
U Shaped Bobby Pins.
Wig Accessories..
Most dancers like to finish their look with a tiara, headband or bow. There really are no rules here so pick a final look which matches your personal style, budget and dress.
Practice..
Putting on a wig can be stressful for new parents or dancers but it does take practice. There are plenty of You Tube videos on how to get a wig looking its best so google for the type of wig you have, such as 'how to fit a bun wig' and you will have plenty of dancers and professionals ready to share their expertise and take you through the various steps!
No Returns..
Nobody wants to buy a wig and think it has been on other dancer's heads before their own.
So for this reason we do not accept wigs back once they have been purchased. So please make sure you are happy with the style and colour before you purchase.
FAQs | Irish Wigs
Full Head Attachment Instructions | Banana Clip Attachment Instructions | Bun Cover Attachment Instructions | Group Order Form
Youngblood Wigs
Youngblood Haircutters hairpieces are made of mono-fiber (plastic). Each hairpiece has memory curl fiber, this means that even after being washed they hold their original curl. Because Youngblood Haircutters specializes in hairpieces for IRISH STEP DANCERS, all of our hairpieces have appropriate curls for feiseanna and performances. Hairpieces can be cut shorter, if desired.
How to Match our Hairpieces to Your Hair
For $30 plus shipping we will send you a complete color swatch with all 28 of our colors. If you choose to return the swatch we will credit you $20.
Included with your swatch will be our catalog, care instructions, and how to attach your hairpiece. To use the swatch, pull the girl’s hair back from her face and match the sample strand to the middle of her hair, never match it to the ends. If you are torn between two colors it is generally best to go with the lighter of the two. If the girl has highlighted hair we have several highlighted shades; these are the ones that have two colors mixed together. On the color swatch, highlighted shades are represented by two colors on the same swatch strand side by side. When you order one of the highlighted shades on a wig, the two colors seen on the swatch will be mixed together in the hairpiece. If we do not have your highlighted shade, and particularly if you are matching your hairpiece in the winter when hair tends to be darker, choose a hairpiece the matches the lighter hair. Never match hairpiece to the ends of the hair. Taking your swatch to your dance studio and putting a group order together is a great way to save money and help out frustrated mothers dancers, and sometimes teachers.
How to Order
Place your order using the shopping cart on this website. If you have any trouble placing your order or are having difficulty understanding any instructions feel free to call Youngblood Haircutters at (602)-253-8121 or E-mail Terry Kelley at [email protected] .
Hairpiece Care Instructions
Each time after the hairpiece is worn, spray five to ten squirts of the Wig Conditioner and five to ten squirts of the Wig Sheen Spray onto the wig. Gently scrunch the curls to distribute both products; wait five minutes to let the hairpiece dry, then using your fingers, untangle any curls that have become matted. Reform the untangled curls by wrapping the curl around your finger starting at the base of your finger and the base of the curl; pet the curl with your other hand to make the fiber shiny, then gently remove the curl off of your finger. It is best to store the hairpiece in the plastic bag it came in if it is a split curl wig, or a hard plastic container if it is a sausage curl wig, after it is dry.
Never use heat on the hairpiece (hot rollers, curling irons, blow dryers etc…) as it will damage the fibers. However, you may use sponge rollers to loosen the curl. Remember,your hairpiece has memory curl fiber so it will not lose its curl or shape if proper care is taken.
Wig Care Kit: 8oz Wig Conditioner | Wig Sheen Spray | All for $20 – Click Here to order
Contact Us!
Phone: (602) 253-8121
Email: [email protected]
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How to properly put on (wear) a wig, how to fasten a wig on your head: video
Usually a wig is not fixed somehow additionally. Properly sized, it fits perfectly and securely on the head, well held by an elastic band sewn into the base.
If you have a special case or some criteria that require a super strong fixation, you can fix the product using tapes or even special clips. A separate option is adjustable products. They have special straps that will help you to increase or decrease the wig as needed.
Wig fixing steps
Your hair should be pulled back into a flat bun. If a special hat is used, put it on.
- Wigs are shaken gently before being put on and then easily styled by hand or with a comb. After that, they are ready to wear. Curly wigs can not be combed at all, but only shake and sort through the curls with your fingers.
- Taking the product by the front edge, attach it to the upper part of the forehead, then put it on, pulling it towards the back of the head.
- Smooth out the hair of the wig in the temple area.
- After putting on the wig, style it with your hands or with a comb.
How to fix (fasten) a wig on the head
Consider cases when a special, extra strong fixation is needed, when it becomes necessary to glue the wig.
In this case, we are talking about wearing a product without a cap, usually with baldness or significant hair loss, when it is important for a woman to wear a wig, and it was perceived, looked and worn the same way as her hair. And this also implies a strong fixation.
How are wigs attached with glue?
Apply the adhesive with a brush along the hairline. Allow 2-3 minutes to dry. You can also fix the wig with adhesive tape.
Some tips
- Tape and glue can be used at the same time to enhance the hold.
- Lubricate the edges of the mesh with glue: in this case, the entire product holds firmly and does not move out.
- The main fixation points should be the temples and forehead. It is not necessary to place a tape around the entire perimeter of the head.
How to wear your wig
Don't style your hair too flat for a natural look.
If you choose the right wig, you will always feel comfortable wearing it.
And by following all the rules of use, extend its service life. It is important to remove the product at night and store it properly. For this, a special stand, a box, or, in extreme cases, a can are suitable.
Informative video
Video: how to put on (put on) a wig
Video: how to put on a wig on a mesh
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Irish dancing: art, sport and fashion | Sport
June marks the 20th anniversary of the first Irish dance school in Russia, Iridan, which means Irish dancing in general in our country.
With the advent of the Riverdance and Lord of the Dance shows in the mid-90s, Irish dancing became known all over the world, including in Russia. Now their popularity is not as rampant as in the 2000s, but there are still fans and enthusiastic dancers, schools are working, and today's Irish dances are a rich and interesting world with their important events, their fashion and their heroes.
The Guru spoke with two teachers from the Iridan School about what has happened to Irish dancing in the last decade.
Elena Kholkina, artist and photographer, Iridan school teacher, certified CLRG trainer (Ireland)
Irish dancing in Russia is a very strange world where all kinds of people flock. There are bands that were born out of the pub craze, fun beer dancing, elves, various folk bands, Irish dance shows Lord of the Dance and Riverdance, and some of them have remained in the same circle of interests, while other bands have gone completely different paths. First of all, I like Iridan because it does not stand still and does not limit its dancers in their abilities. At this stage, we are working with adults and children in sports and staging areas, we are constantly experimenting. We are interested in both the traditional direction of Irish dance, and the modern approach, in which the boundaries can be mobile. By the way, the very concept of tradition is very conditional and is a constant subject of research and clarification in Ireland itself.
One way or another, working at Iridan has always been an inspiring experience for me, and now the work of a teacher and director largely determines my life.
Guru Help: what Irish dances are
- Irish dances can be divided into "traditional" and "show dances".
- Traditional dances, in turn, are divided into solo and keili (this is a type of social dance: they have simple choreography, and the main goal is to have a good time).
- Solo traditional dances can be seen at feis (feis is an Irish dance competition, from city level to world level). Every year, fashion looks more and more like sports (read the details below in the interview). Schools and clubs are associated with Irish dance judging commissions - these are international organizations, the membership of schools in which determines which competitions students will take part in.
- Rhythmically, Irish dances are divided into reel (and-one, and-two, and-three, and-four), jig (one-two-three, two-two-three .
.. - almost like a waltz) and hornpipe (he has rather complex rhythm, which usually starts with a lead-in).
- Finally, Irish dances are divided according to the type of footwear: those that are danced in soft lace-up shoes, and those that are danced in hard boots with heels and toes.
- Irish dance shows (eg Lord of The Dance) have gone very far from traditional dances, although the basic movement has been preserved. The show has different music, costumes are noticeably different (in the direction of greater freedom), other dance styles are often mixed in - whole numbers of the program, and some of the "iron" rules for the tradition do not work: for example, in the choreography of the show, hand movements are used, and a solo performance on feshe is still hard to imagine.
- Searching for an Irish dance school just on Google is useless: all life is in Vkontakte and Instagram groups.
How did you get into Irish dancing?
Elena Kholkina
I don't remember exactly the year when I first came to the casting at the Moscow school of Irish dance "Iridan" (we used to have castings where people were recruited into several groups divided into levels).
Twice I came and entered the advanced group, but I started to study only in 2005, when my studies finally ceased to coincide with dancing in time.
I have been a TCRG since 2015 - this status can be obtained by passing a rather difficult Commission exam. I prepared for it for a year and a half, took it in Dublin. Since then, I have been one of ten Russian certified Irish dance trainers from the CLRG Commission (Ireland).
Before the exam, I replaced groups, taught separate classes, in general, taught, but not on a permanent basis. In addition to leading groups at the Iridan Academy, about twice a year I participate in the creation of dance projects within the Irish creative labs. Summer is organized by our partner schools in Kaliningrad (Iridan Kaliningrad) and Nizhny Novgorod (Kelty School), and I organize the winter myself with friends and colleagues from the McGahan Lees school - Sasha Kukharenko and Masha Tsimfer. Since I'm also a Polestar Pilates Certified Pilates Instructor, in addition to dancing, I run a kind of PE for dancers and anyone interested in movement.
She even started a separate instagram for this - @highphysicalculture. There are already several exercises posted there, and I plan to gradually fill it with useful content for dancers and people interested in healthy movement.
Olga Garshtya, engineer at the Ostankino television center, teacher at the Iridan school
I started studying in September 2007, and have been teaching dance since November 2014.
During this time, the market for Irish dance schools has changed dramatically; When I arrived, there were three large schools in Moscow. Now the popularity of dances has ceased to be mass, but there are at least thirty schools - they appeared, among other things, due to splits and the separation of branches. At some point, I stopped knowing all the schools in Moscow and in Russia.
Before there were thirty people in groups, now there can be six. By the Intermediate level, the groups usually dissolve, the remaining members disperse to other groups.
How do Irish dance schools in Russia communicate with each other?
Elena Kholkina
I communicate with most of the guys who were once in Iridan and then formed their own teams or schools. We meet at competitions, sometimes we perform together at concerts and holidays, we do joint dance projects. We do not have such a large community yet, we still know each other, at least through mutual acquaintances, although this is gradually changing, and more and more new faces appear among the dancers.
I can't exactly list all the schools in Russia, there have been a lot of them in recent years. Of those with whom Iridan Academy (our official name at the moment) as the oldest school in Moscow was familiar for some time - the schools Ceim Oir, Carey Academy, Teire, Mirkwood, Irene School, McGahan Lees. These schools belong to the CLRG Commission. There is also a whole group of schools belonging to the WIDA Commission - we have less contact with them, since we have a separate system of competitions, but we meet at master classes of foreign teachers, concerts and holidays.
Do you participate in fash?
Elena Kholkina
No, because according to the rules of the Commission, teachers with TCRG status lose the right to participate in competitions. But my students dance, and it’s much more pleasant for me to follow their progress and help them develop than it would be to compete on my own - after all, by the standards of Irish dancing, I’m already quite a few years old, in the past I had an injury, in general, I already competed. Now I enjoy dancing in a different way, and I like to dance calmly, without trying to defeat anyone, learning the dance from all sides and trying different approaches.
Now is an amazing time: you can learn from great dancers literally on Instagram. If you know what you want, then the roads are absolutely open.
And I dance for my pleasure, with my students; we learn from each other and from our Irish curator, World Champion and Riverdance lead singer Anthony Sharkey, who teach live or on social media.
My students participate both in regional competitions in Russia and international ones. "Iridan" since 2008 every autumn organizes the Russian National Irish Dance Championship in Moscow; it involves from 500 to 700 dancers from all over Russia, with live musical accompaniment (musicians from Ireland) and certified foreign judges. The age of participants is from 5 to 45 years old, the level is from beginners to international class open dancers. The results of the competitions are recorded in the official world register.
There are other championships held by different schools in Russian cities.
Our students dance at the Mainland European & Asian Irish Dancing Championships & World Qualifiers every year where senior dancers can qualify for the World Irish Dancing Championships or Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne. In general, the championship system is an amazing opportunity to combine your favorite business with travel, as major championships change venues every year, and you can go to Scotland, then to Ireland, then to England, then to the USA.
Olga Garshtya
I don’t participate now — the fashion shows have been canceled due to the coronavirus, but in general, yes. World fashion promised to return the contributions, but did not return. But now we have a million discounts from airlines and hostels.
Ten years ago it was noticeable that Irish dancing was becoming less aesthetic and more athletic. Has this trend continued?
Olga Garshtya
Irish dancing has indeed become more and more sporty and acrobatic in recent years. From this they became more or less beautiful - a matter of subjective perception. If we compare the records of the world championship 1995 and 2019, then these are just different dances.
Elena Kholkina
Our competitions and training in terms of athleticism at the moment can be compared with rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating and other Olympic sports. I think that the only limitation that separates our dance from the more well-known sports in Russia is the national identity of the dance.
It is probably logical for most people that Spanish, Irish, Brazilian and other dances of the peoples of the world are, as it were, separate from sports.
But Irish dancing in its competitive version at the world championship level is a pure sport, and top-level dancers are athletes who devote most of their time to classes, train not only in the hall, but also outside the school walls, working on dance technique and general level of development of the body.
Irish Competitive Dance requires serious work with coordination, balance, core strength, breathing, plyometrics and of course rhythm.
Competitions sometimes resemble the Olympic Games with the most difficult jumps and high-speed combinations. This can be treated differently, but in this athletic world there is a place for the so-called natural style dancers who dance easily, rhythmically and spectacularly. I, too, am rather not close to the moments associated with the transformation of dance into a pure sport, but as a teacher I observe everything and study everything, I see what is applicable for dancers and what is traumatic.
And I'm sure I'm not the only one. A trend is just a temporary fashion, and I try not to cling to one thing, but to look at dance more broadly.
Who is the authority in the world of Irish dancing now? Who should be followed?
Elena Kholkina
Now the whole world is on Instagram and Tiktok, so you can watch there. I love Instagram more, so I share sources from there. Champions, leaders, show teams, cool guys, girls and boys: Tyler Schwartz @tylerschwartzdance, Mike & Matthew Gardiner @gardinerbrothers, Fusion Fighters @fusionfighters, Lauren Smyth @lozsmyth4, TapTronic @taptronic, Alan Kenefick @alan_kenefick, ProdiJig @prodijig.
I can't help but think of someone I've been studying with for 15 years now: Colin Dunne, dancer and stage director of Riverdance and Dancing on Dangerous Ground fame, who has done an incredible job since his time as a soloist in these productions, both in field of show dance, and in the study of the tradition of dance and its connection with music.
He comes to Russia 1-2 times a year and I always go to his classes. This is my dream come true, and it greatly affects how I feel about dance and develop it in myself.
Olga Garshtya
Colin Dunn still visits us; he is friends with the Vortex school.
I don't really follow what's going on with celebrities; and there is a chat of volunteers from St. Petersburg fashion, where they discuss, for example, the category of 16-17 years old at the world championship, where the most intense struggle goes on every competition; I know one last name from there, and the volunteers know everyone, they are subscribed to everyone, and they know which of these girls makes whom.
I follow Kira Sexton. She introduced the fashion for a minimalist hairstyle, a small bun, and a jump, which was named after her. Kira Sexton managed to participate in all the shows - she played mostly bad girls, because she is a brunette.
Irish dancing has been greatly influenced by apps.
All life is now on Instagram.
Irish dance apps appeared - like Apple Music, but with Irish music and with a subscription three times the price.
I know of two such applications; maybe there are more. The faces of these applications are world-class dancers. And even if you buy a dance circle for home workouts to lay at home, the brand of this rug will have ambassadors, dancers from the top ten world championships.
Guru Help: Irish Dancing Fashion
At competitions, dancers dance not only in special shoes, but also in special clothes: smart dresses of a special cut for women and trousers with shirts and richly trimmed vests for men. The dress code is gradually changing, becoming freer over the years: more recently, men danced in kilts, and the length of women's skirts was strictly regulated.
Women don't have to wear wigs, but it's customary. The requirements for beginners are not so severe, but absolutely all athletes wear wigs at the world championship.
Olga Garshtya
Irish dance dresses
If we are talking about more or less aesthetic dance now and ten years ago, views may be different; but as for the beauty of dresses, I have an opinion.
When we came in, in the middle of the 2000s, those were the dark ages. If you put the beauty of the dresses in the form of a graph, this was the bottom line: neon, contrast, zebra inserts, sequins in huge quantities.
The sportiness of dancing is growing: everyone wants to win the next world championship, so they increase their athleticism, acrobatics, stretching, invent new jumps, and every year something new happens in competitive fashion. And the closer dancing becomes to sports, the more Irish dresses become like figure skating suits.
The trend for mini-skirts appeared two or three years ago. Olya Shlyakhova, photographer, travels to all the world's fashion. She once wrote: you might not know, but in 2016 they canceled the skirt length rule! And we really didn't know.
It used to be like: from the edge of the skirt to the knee should be no more than a palm, or four inches. Then this rule was replaced by the middle of the thigh from behind as the border of the permissible. Now the length of the skirt is not regulated in any way.
Skirts retain their A-shape and frame, but dresses are now light and easy to move in. The sleeves have become thin, with a loop on the finger. All in all, fesh dresses are pretty again after a long period of obscurity, they just don't carry the Irish tradition anymore.
In "Iridan" there is a famous heavy dress - "fur coat", bought for the school a very long time already used. Once upon a time in the 90s it was a good, solidly made dress for the world championship; then it gradually crawled down the levels, and now beginners are dancing in it. The dress is pretty worn, but alive.
My dress in this photo is trendy for 2016. Then waffle trim became popular, embroidery with squares on a beige top.
This trend gained momentum and resulted in two completely different phenomena: the fashion for bare bodily arms and shoulders went in one direction, which eventually led to a mesh and an eyelet on the finger, like in gymnastic leotards; in the other direction, the fashion went to embroider a mesh to match the main fabric on empty places such as sides. The drawing stretched out and turned into rhombuses, because everyone wants a silhouette, and then the rhombuses got tired and they began to clog the entire free area of \u200b\u200bthe dress with embroidery. Here, the prices for dresses have exceeded all conceivable barriers, because the dresses were filled with machine embroidery by 99%!
A good source for Irish dress history is the once_upon_a_feis Instagram account.
Shoes
We still order soft and hard shoes from Ireland, although in recent years there have been at least two attempts to produce shoes in Russia. One of them turned out to be successful.
The master lives in Nizhny Novgorod, he has his own clientele and fans; he makes not only classic black, but also funny shoes in three colors of leather.
Wigs
They also went through several stages. The “sausage” curls that we found in the middle of the 2000s are now perceived as absolutely 2009.
Fortunately, then the fashion moved towards more naturalness: the curls became larger, shaggy. For a while there were no long wigs, but there was a fashion for a natural-sized bun, for a babette. I looked like a photo of my mother in 1964 in this wig.
At one time there was a fashion for straight front wigs. And then came Nadine Martin, the world champion, and introduced Marge Simpson's hairstyle; wigs started to grow. My student's wig was already twice as big as mine. But even that was better than sausage curls! Then ordinary wigs with loose hair returned; however, they already tend to look natural.
Freedom and alternative in Irish dancing
Elena Kholkina directs and shoots her own dance videos.
In terms of freedom, they are much closer to the show than to the tradition, but they also do not look like the usual shows. See for yourself!
Elena Kholkina
I made and filmed my first dance video Dead Already to the music of Thomas Newman in 2017 with the dancers of Iridan Academy; I think this was the first video of its kind in Russia, where Russian Irish dancers show non-competitive and non-concert choreography.
Since then I have made over 15 dance videos with Irish dancers, most of which I have directed myself and the rest I have been a videographer, dancer or co-choreographer. Some of them can be seen on my vimeo accounts: offonroadcom and offonroad. For comparison, look at a couple of the last works of this year: the Guardian dance video with dancers from different schools -
- or the production of Revolution, made by my senior group of dancers, where they themselves came up with the material, and I shot a video for them.
