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AIBU?

Aibu to think Irish dancing is just another pageant

110 replies

LemonDrizzleDisco · 29/01/2017 08:25

With the sparkles,expensive dresses,wigs,tanned legs,make up.

What happened to the traditional look?

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llhj · 29/01/2017 08:29

It's vile. Totally agree.

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LemonDrizzleDisco · 29/01/2017 08:34
Confused
Aibu to think Irish dancing is just another pageant
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KateDaniels2 · 29/01/2017 08:34

Is that whats its like now?

I did it in the 80s. Curled my hair and wore a dress but no sparkle, make up wigs etc. I won loads of competitions and dont recall any of this.

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KateDaniels2 · 29/01/2017 08:35

Yeah its wasnt like that at all.

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Palomb · 29/01/2017 08:35

Those wigs Shock

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LemonDrizzleDisco · 29/01/2017 08:37

Just a couple of examples. It's wigs instead of curling your hair,dress blinked up ,where are the pretty ones with Celtic designs gone? Even the socks and shoes can be blinded up.

Aibu to think Irish dancing is just another pageant
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RedHelenB · 29/01/2017 08:38

I think that's more the american look - Irish dancing not liker that where we are, although we're not in Ireland!

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EatSpamAmandaLamb · 29/01/2017 08:38

It has completely changed in the last decade or so. I did it from ages 2-24 and it started to get blingy in the end. I'm not sure if that corresponded with me moving from IRE to the UK or if it has changed everywhere. The amount of mothers I've seen screaming at children backstage about their fake tans and having their faces hair sprayed is baffling. When I was a kid it was all rags in Hair and a pinch on the cheeks.

It is a terrific way for children to stay active, although my DD saw the outfits and hair and decided to stick with street dance classes. Grin

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LaurieMarlow · 29/01/2017 08:39

Yes, it's beyond awful. And the expense is through the roof.

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EatSpamAmandaLamb · 29/01/2017 08:41

Holy shit those wigs. Shock
Reminds me of the riddlers

Aibu to think Irish dancing is just another pageant
Aibu to think Irish dancing is just another pageant
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LemonDrizzleDisco · 29/01/2017 08:42

😂😂GrinGrin eatspam

D Neice lives in Ireland and she's all about the sparkles and tan too. It must of caught on when American dancers compete at the World Championships

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TheHiphopopotamus · 29/01/2017 08:51

I used to do it waaaaay back in the 80's and it wasn't like that at all.

Had to have the hair in ringlets (so the torture of sleeping in rollers or hair in rags the night before) and the dresses cost hundreds of pounds even then, but the new look is ridiculous.

Those hair pieces are just Confused

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LemonDrizzleDisco · 29/01/2017 08:53

The wigs are 100s of pounds now,DN dress cost £1,800!

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FannyDeFuzz · 29/01/2017 08:59

It's awful isn't it? I pulled my DD out of dancing because of it. She was part of a school that managed to stay traditional, but as the children got older & there was more talk of competing, it started to creep in and I just thought fuck that

It's a shame because I danced for years myself, and DD was good at it.

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Trainspotting1984 · 29/01/2017 09:02

Well, firstly I'll admit I was an 80s/ 90s dancer and haven't followed much recently. But ALL dance competitions require make up/ wigs or styled hair. Disco, jazz, tap. Irish dancing is dancing. It's not a beauty contest and therefore isn't like a Pagent. Would you say the same to a tap dancer?

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Trainspotting1984 · 29/01/2017 09:03

(Sorry I haven't been clear. I agree the look is ridiculous but think (seriously hope) that we're not at a stage where it's "just" a beauty contest

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Pineapplemilkshake · 29/01/2017 09:05

Well I wouldn't say it's just a pageant as there is a hell of a lot of skill and hard work required.

But I agree the wigs and current style of dresses are hideous.

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ScarletForYa · 29/01/2017 09:07

Shock

Oh my God! The wigs! Awful, I'm sad to see this. The orange tans are awful. Outs such a pity.

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MrsDustyBusty · 29/01/2017 09:08

If you want your child to do Irish dancing without that kind of thing, sean nós is becoming more popular.

Personally, I think there are two factors pushing the look, the American style and the new possibility of working in a travelling stage show which didn't exist years ago.

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LynetteScavo · 29/01/2017 09:12

DD wanted to take up Irish dancing and I asked around about time, commitment, costs etc as I didn't want to get in to something that would be detrimental to her brothers. In the end I just couldn't get past the wigs.

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SoupDragon · 29/01/2017 09:13

It's not a beauty contest

Then why is the "look" so important?

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BeanAnTi · 29/01/2017 09:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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SoupDragon · 29/01/2017 09:15

I understand a traditional style of dress being required but wigs, ringlets and fake tans? Do they make you a better dancer?

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MrsDustyBusty · 29/01/2017 09:16

Then why is the "look" so important?

Do you wonder the same about ballet, jazz, ballroom, tap?

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dementedma · 29/01/2017 09:18

Dd2 did it for years and became good to enough to compete. The price of the dresses was horrendous. We got a second hand one mad when she was small,curled her hair with rags. As she got older this was frowned on and we were repeatedly told she had to have a wig...We refused and we're pretty much ostracised so we gave up.
The whole thing had become a dressing up charade which was a shame as it was bloody hard work mastering the technique and DD enjoyed it

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