Scandal in Irish dancing circles

[LadyEloise1]

Anyone listening to or reading about the scandal surrounding the Irish Dancing scene.

I'm delighted it is being scrutinised.
I'm not involved at all but I hated what had happened to Irish Dancing.
The elaborate and wildly expensive costumes, the daft wigs, the fake tan on wee children.
Madness.
I just saw photos in the paper of children attending Feiseanna and was both disappointed and disgusted.
How dare they turn a simple cultural tradition into a sparkly spangly mess.
It was the equivalent the artificiality of Child Beauty Pageants in the US, but in the context of Irish Dancing.
I hope someone shouts STOP

I fully agree. Dd was interested for a little while and it was a strange world if you haven’t grown up with it.

I found it really odd how it was all focused on training and competition. When I asked the teacher about céilí he looked at me as if I had two heads. Clearly having a bit of fun didn’t come into it.

I’ll be honest that I was relieved when dd turned her attention elsewhere.

It changed dramatically since I was a kid going to classes in the 70's, there was no makeup, wigs, glue to hold up your socks etc back then. It was strict regarding the skill of dancing but nothing like recent years. I fell away from it (The GAA was far more attractive to me) but I have friends who competed right up to adult level and then went on teaching, one in particular was very talented but left teaching about 20 years ago, she told me then it wasn't what she wanted children aspiring to and that it was turning into who you knew, not how you danced, and if you couldn't afford all the trimming you'd no chance. She turned to teaching hiphop and modern dance, still does it and says its completely different regarding fairness.

My dd dabbled with it for a few months when she was about 9, and I was so glad when she said she didn't want to do it any more. It did rather seem like a lovely tradition turned into a grotesque pantomime, and those awful ludicrous wigs...

Sounds like the jig is up.

😂
Hopefully.

It can be lovely and builds strong friendships, but I don’t think Feis’s are marked fairly generally. The same kids win all the time… based on politics and worse costumes which can cost ££££. I too wish for simpler times, but not sure it will happen

Sadly I think most dancing competitions are like this regardless of genre.

DD does Cheer and the organisation that run their competitions also run Dance ones and I assume the dance sections (seems to be hip hop, pom, street and modern type) are scored like Cheer. All points based on technical skill, difficulty, execution and the outfits do not count at all.

Dance teacher friend was telling me all about the politics and unfairness of dance festivals just horrible.

I agree. It's not the Irish dancing I know.

I prefer to watch people do Sean - nós dancing. No costumes. No silly made up rules. Just enjoyment.

I remember Irish dancing was a more simple pursuit.

Changing the subject slightly, how come GAA isn't as accessable in the UK? No clubs and not taught in schools (especially the Catholic schools).

I think there are GAA clubs in the UK.
Northern Ireland obviously has a thriving GAA community.
I think London fields a team.
There are teams in New York. Probably in Dubai, Australia and NZ.
Perhaps ring GAA HQ.

There's definitely GAA in England. Some of my cousins' children are really into it.

Dd enjoyed it and was good at it but as we got sucked more into the expensive dresses and stupid curly wigs,which we refused to buy, she wasnt able to compete with the kids who could afford the bling so she gave up.

I remember seeing a small group of young women practice Camogie in Finsbury Park once.

Gave me a bitter-sweet feeling. The call of home !

I'm confused.

Is that not like asking why Aussie Rules isn't widely available in Ireland? GAA sports are less available in the UK than Ireland because they're Irish sports.

As for RC schools in the UK, they're not Irish RC schools and GAA aren't (officially) RC sports but anyway most kids in Ireland who play don't play through school, they play through clubs.