Aibu to think Irish dancing is just another pageant

[LemonDrizzleDisco]

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

What happened to the traditional look?

But ALL dance competitions require make up/ wigs or styled hair

What would happen if they had a different hairstyle, no make up and a plain, non-blingy dress? Would they get marked down for not confirming to the current fashionable appearance of the particular dance?

Yes they would iwantatardis

Yes, TARDIS. It would take a brave child,no matter how brilliant a dancer, to compete with hair in natural curls,and an unblinged dress!

My niece is learning Irish dancing and there is none of this! She wears her hair in a pony tail with a plain band, no makeup and plain black tights and leotard. She is doing exams though, not shows. I dread her entering competitions if this is what's required. (DSIL is very sensible though)

Why ringlets?

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

Yes. Why wouldn't I? can you actually answer my question as to why the look is important?

DD has never had to wear any of that shit for tap or modern exams though.

As far as I know, ballet doesn't require huge ringlet wigs, fake tan and bling.

Sorry I should of said ,yes I agree there is a lot of talent and skill involved,I've seen DN in class before,she trains 6 days a week.

But surely the over the top is not needed,of course all dances have make up,costumes but there was nothing wrong with the traditional look.

It would take a brave child,no matter how brilliant a dancer, to compete with hair in natural curls,and an unblinged dress!

To me, this says talent is secondary to The Look.

can you actually answer my question as to why the look is important?

No, I'm not making the rules, I don't dance and haven't done any competitions so I don't know. I assume it's the same for all dancing competitions - the look is part of it and this is understood by the people taking part.

It is very much like that here in Ireland, for the pp who thought it might not be. Dd isn't allowed to do it for this very reason, it id awful.

Dd's friend does it, her dresses are over €1000, €60 A WEEK on lessons!!! Travel to competitions, to Spain/England/NI, now she is very good but that is madness for a ten year old.

And sadly it means if a child that can't afford all the bells and whistles can't afford it and wore something else she does get marked down, but she would stand out like a sore thumb and probably be made to feel unwelcome at the competitions before it even got to that. It's awful and the only ones benefiting are the dress makers

Soup there is no real answer to that- it's just tradition, and the style of the dance which has evolved and become important enough to be a marking criteria for competition.

It's not really about talent, it's about presenting the dance.

I did it in the 90s, none of them wigs or dresses. I had my hair put in rags the night before (no ideas why though), my dress was a green one with a basic Celtic design and wore no make up or false tan. None of us did. It looks daft now

My dd has been doing for 2yrs.€5 a week and only expense is shoes. She's not been to a competition yet but don't necessarily think it's like that in Ireland at least at a younger age.

A few years ago I was working in the outskirts of Dublin for a couple of days. I arrived at the hotel quite late and a coach load of teenage girls were getting off of a coach. Several were carrying what appeared to be Pekingese dogs in their arms. My tired brain concluded the Irish equivalent of Crufts must be on nearby. The next morning, when I saw them boarding their coach in full regalia, I realised the dogs were actually their wigs!!

Jesus Mary and the Holy Saint Joseph, what are they thinking?
I've known many a Celtic leg in my time, and they range between white and mauve, never ever orange.
Vile.

I've just discovered sock glue is a thing.

There are people in UK and Ireland (speaking from my own experience) who dress like that.

OP you must know something about it to be posting, I'm guessing. The younger children, and those starting out, tend to dress more simply. Not all use the wigs, or the expensive decorated dresses, though the wigs also used for practical reasons if they have a comp (feis) school etc No hours of curlers or rags. Those at the higher profile competitions tend to be more this way though. This is what I've found anyway.

Not so, it kicks off when competitions start.

Yes, sock glue is indeed a thing!!!

Sock glue is a thing.

NotSoHankyPanky unless you have a huge savings account or are willing to hit the credit union you better hope your daughter isn't very good As soon as she hits competition level this is exactly what it's like at any age

Apparently the only thing the Irish Dancing Commission has done is ban make up for the under 10s. Woop de do.

In the US they won't even do that.

Dd's friend does it, her dresses are over €1000, €60 A WEEK on lessons!!! Travel to competitions, to Spain/England/NI, now she is very good but that is madness for a ten year old.

Oh yes, this sounds a familiar story! That's not too bad for the lessons though