Our theme this month at Germ is “March to the beat of your own drum.” You might want to know how to do the Irish drum step before you do, though, so we found this wonderful how-to video by Irish step dance instructor Darrah Carr. Be sure to read our interview with poet and Irish dancer Alice Osborn for even more tips on dancing to your own drum.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all us at Germ Magazine!

The drum in Irish step-dance is created by three sounds. In the first sound, the dancer lifts the back foot and places it down on the ground behind herself. The second sound is created by a toe or a tip of the front of the shoe on the floor. The third sound is a heel, dropping the heel or digging the heel into the ground for the third sound. We’ll look at those three moves again. The step, the toe, and the heel. And a little faster. When done in progression, the drum can also travel across the space. An advanced rendering of the step will be to add a flair, flick, or twist of the front foot, moving it from side to side. Watch the drum up to full tempo in this Howcast dance video by Darrah Carr.

Watch more how-to Irish step-dancing videos at www.howcast.com/videos/509200-…