Mollie McCabe, of Buffalo, N.Y., Irish step dances along the shores
of Lake Erie in her "Heartbeat of Home" audition video.
Open auditions for "Heartbeat of Home" -- the dance fusion show produced by the creators of "Riverdance" -- began Monday, and the competition is as fierce as it is diverse.
Judges responsible for casting the new show will be watching video auditions uploaded to YouTube by dancers of various genres, including Irish, flamenco, Latin and street dancing. So far, Irish dancer videos outweigh dancers of other forms in the competition.
The quality of Irish dance applicants is unreal. Many of those auditioning are regional, national and even world champions.
Irish dancers of the competitive circuit will recognize a few names and faces, including former CLRG world champions Ashley Smith and Olivia Griffin, and current senior men's world title holder Tyler Schwartz, just to name a few of the step dancing big-timers competing for a spot on the "Heartbeat" stage.
Professional show dancer Owen Jones' video channels a bit of Irish dance nostalgia with footage of him dancing at a child, followed by a recent video clip of him dancing on a show stage. Tom Brosnan and Erin Trevena of "Brosena," the dancing duo that made it to the semi-final round of Sky1's "Got to Dance," both threw their hats into the "Heartbeat" ring, too.
Then, there are the dancing dark horses -- those who don't hold any fancy titles or have professional shows listed on their resumes but clearly possess talent, showmanship and energy worthy of the "Heartbeat" judges' attention.
Korean-born Mollie McCabe shot her a capella video in freezing temperatures in Buffalo, N.Y., yet her beats are both precise and audibly crisp regardless of the undeniably harsh dancing conditions.
Lisa Murphy, of Brooklyn, also stands out from the crowd. Her video takes an unexpected twist when she transitions from trebles to music video moves.
Audition videos continue to pop up on the official "Heartbeat" talent search website. According to judge Padraic Moyles, the top 10 videos at the end of the online audition cycle (later this month) will be invited to try out for the show in person. Those not ranked in the top according to viewer votes still have a chance though. The judges, Moyles said, will identify dancers possessing appealing show qualities and invite them to formally audition as well.
Prodijig, winners of Sky1's "Got to Dance," claim the No. 1 spot on our list.
Last year's most popular Irish dance videos were innovative and surprising, and just when we thought Irish dance couldn't get that much more exciting, 2012 packed a wallop with dubstep-inspired step dancing, "Got to Dance" champs and One Direction treble reels.
Based solely on pageviews attributed to individual Irish dancing videos uploaded to YouTube in the last year, these are the top 12 Irish dance videos of 2012:
1. Prodijig's finals performance on "Got to Dance"
1,004,987 views
Prodijig earned a mere honorable mention on the 2011 list, mainly because the video from the group's "Got to Dance" tryout had been uploaded right at the very end of the year when other videos had months to amass video views. The band of former Riverdancers with robotic precision ended up winning gold in the televised dance show, so it's no mystery how these fierce dancers skyrocketed to the top of this list.
Congratulations, Prodijig, on winning "Got to Dance" and the No. 1 slot on our list!
2. Irish dance routine to One Direction's "Na Na Na"
693,224 views
Directioners -- that, I hear, is how One Direction fans refer to themselves -- are a force all their own, strong enough to make or break a viral video, apparently. These five Irish dancers from Michigan choreographed a routine to the popular boy band's song "Na Na Na." Each girl is dressed as a member of the English-Irish band.
3. TapTronic's "Crave You" remix
633,685 views
Seemingly out of nowhere, TapTronic blew the roof off Irish dance as we knew it with this video. With high production quality, perfectly poignant music selection (dubstep having reached its pop culture peak in 2012) and insanely intricate choreography on two sets of super-speedy feet, Irish dancers -- and, well, EVERYONE ELSE -- could not look away.
4. Irish dancing to Michael Jackson
475,741 views
This little dancer won our hearts and our pageviews with an adorable dance to a Michael Jackson medley. The dancer, described in the YouTube video's about section as being just 8 years old, mesmerized shoppers at a Derry mall.
5. Prodijig's semi-finals performance on "Got to Dance"
400,363 views
That's two videos in the top five most watched Irish dance videos on YouTube for Prodijig! A cherry on top for the dancers already claiming the coveted No. 1 position on the list.
6. VirtuREEL Irish Dancing
198,045 views
Discover Ireland, the same organization that sponsored the Sneaky Steppers' St. Patrick's Day flashmob (last year's No. 1 video on the list), introduced this trippy Irish dance project that got commuters in Sydney's Central Station kicking up their heels.
7. BBC's Step McGovern Irish dancing on air
196,813 views
8. Conan visits Chicago's Irish American Heritage Center
176,793 views
Irish-American late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien brought his camera crew to Chicago where he learned a step or two from the Trinity Irish dancers. Antics ensued -- but nothing as cringe-worthy as the face-kick endured by the Irish dancer with whom O'Brien danced during the stage performance.
9. Toronto St. Patrick's Day Flashmob
94,769 views
Discover Ireland saw so much success with the 2011 St. Patrick's Day flashmob that they tweaked the format for the following year. This flashmob features singers and dancers taking over the Toronto streets.
10. RTE News' coverage of the All-Irelands
68,255 views
It's not often that camera crews get to film at Irish dance competitions, but this news story (along with documentaries "Jig" and "Big Jig") offer an inside look at our sport's most prestigious championships.
11. TapTronic's "Cracks" remix
55,563 views
The second original video uploaded to YouTube by this innovative dance duo garnered more than 50,000 views. After the success of TapTronic's "Crave You" remix, the guys actually had to add a note at the beginning of this video assuring viewers that the footwork had not been sped up to maker the dancers appear to be moving faster.
12. Student vs. dean dance-off
49,206 views
An enthusiastic student with happy feet lept around his school, getting in teachers' faces and dancing his lights out. All but one educated stood stunned by his fancy footwork. The school's dan calmly waited for the boy to back away, and the dean broke out what looks to be a few rough steps of an Irish reel. OWNED.
Honorable mention: World Irish dancing champions Suzanne Coyle and Michael Holland
Multiple amateur videographers captured this magic moment, when newly minted world champs danced together on stage. Because one singular video did not earn sufficient views to make the top-12 list but the combined views of all uploaded videos did, it's only fair that this particular event is recognized.
The top-12 list above was compiled based on views for videos found on YouTube using search terms "Irish dance" and "Irish dancing." I intentionally omitted videos of fake/mock Irish dancing. Did I miss any videos that may have deserved a spot on the list? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.
Mary Kay Heneghan and 2011 national Irish
dance champion Emily Marino. Photo by Tony Rutherford.
When Irish dance reality show “The Big Jig” premiered
Tuesday night on TLC, Mary Kay Heneghan was understandably nervous about what
she was going to see.
Not only was the Buffalo-based Irish dance instructor hoping
to see Irish dance portrayed accurately and in a positive light on the cable
network known for accentuating already-quirky subcultures’ quirks, but she was
hoping she’d come across OK on camera, too.
Heneghan, certified Irish dance instructor and competition
adjudicator, was one of the show’s stars. In days leading up to the 2012 World
Irish Dancing Championships (known as "Worlds") held in Belfast this
past spring, cameras followed Heneghan and two Worlds-bound Rince na Tiarna
dancers, sisters Emily and Julia Marino.
“I was a little nervous,” Heneghan admitted, joking that
she’d mulled over the idea of watching the show alone in the basement with a
bottle of wine. Instead, she invited over some friends, a few dancers and dance
parents for an impromptu “Big Jig” viewing party, and she was pleased with the
final product.
“I thought it was very well done,” Heneghan said. “No drama
from kids, teachers or parents.”
But it’s not that TLC crew members didn’t try to stir the
pot a little. Heneghan said that dancers were pulled aside and asked leading
questions, to which they responded honestly and respectfully, without coaching
from adults.
“You tell [television execs] what you’re willing to do and
not willing to do, and they try to get you to do that regardless,” she
explained. But her dancers and the other American dancers featured on the TLC
special didn’t fall for it, as evidenced by each of the dancer’s calm,
collected and mature behavior on the show.
“I do wish there was more dancing, and less drinking egg
whites and talking about eyelashes,” she said with a laugh, admitting that
every reality series has to include a few outrageous scenes.
But unlike shows like TLC hit “Toddlers and Tiaras,” which
follows young beauty pageant contestants at competitions, Heneghan noted one
major difference between the pageant scene and the competitive Irish dance
world:
“These kids are talented. These kids can dance. They’re
disciplined. I feel like they’re doing something rooted in history, and it’s a
hard thing to do,” Heneghan said, adding that pageant kids aren’t necessarily
not talented -- it’s just that pageants focus only on appearance. “You can put
on the Irish dancing wig and buy the costume, but you’re not going to get past
that unless you have incredible talent.”
Even though “The Big Jig” documented the most prestigious,
cut-throat Irish dance competition of the year -- the Olympics of Irish dance,
if you will -- it inadvertently captured an unlikely side of the sport:
supporting the “enemy.”
Irish dance teachers Lisa and Karen Petri, and Gary Healy,
whose dancers compete against Heneghan’s, are in no way Heneghan’s nemeses.
“Gary’s one of my best friends, so are Lisa and Karen,” she
said, explaining that Healy even helped Heneghan’s dancer prepare for
competition while Heneghan was in a different room watching another dancer
compete at Worlds -- a scene captured on camera, but not emphasized in the
show.
“We all want the best dancer to win. We just hope the dancer
is our own," she said. "Of course I want to beat them, but I
appreciate talent and hard work."
So, while TLC managed to squeeze a little drama from the
Worlds, it wasn't quite the kind of unusual entertainment one might come to
expect from reality TV -- and what a welcome change it was.
Did you watch "The Big Jig" on TLC? Let me know
what you thought of the show in the comments below.
Irish dance has become almost synonymous with Riverdance -- the long line of dancers all tapping in unison, arms tightly pinned at their sides, pointed toes kicking high into the sky -- but that particular style of Irish dance is by no means the only form in existence today.
Sean-nós, or “old style,” dancing varies widely in style throughout Ireland, but its generally accepted characteristics -- arms loose, feet low to the ground, focus on percussive beats battered out by leather-soled shoes -- predate the more competitive, rigid style of step dancing popularized by Riverdance and documentary film “Jig.”
Back in 1929, the Gaelic League encouraged the development of the Irish Dancing Commission (An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha, or CLRG), an organization devoted to preserving Irish dance and developing standard rules for competition. Prior to the formation of the commission, Irish dance was quite diverse, and it reflected regional differences. With the popularity of commission-sanctioned style on the rise, fringe dance forms faded -- but not entirely.
“It was once danced all over Ireland, but, like the Irish language, it only survived in the Gaeltacht regions as we know them today,” sean-nós dance champion and teacher Edwina Guckian explained. “Over the past 10 years, I've seen it grow in popularity at an enormous rate.”
Sean-nós and competitive style Irish step dancing both benefitted from the Riverdance boom, which reinvigorated Ireland’s -- and the world’s -- interest in Celtic culture in the 1990s and 2000s, but the two distinct branches of Irish dance continued to evolve separately, creating a rift in what is considered “traditional” Irish dance.
“I was accused of making it up,” sean-nós singer and dancer Brían Ó hAirt said, “by [dance] teachers.”
Ó hAirt and other sean-nós dancers are often misunderstood because they dance in a way that appears less formal than competitive Irish dancing, but he’s careful to educate those who dismiss one type of Irish dance as less legitimate than another.
“Irish dance is not just one thing; it’s many things,” said Ó hAirt, a member of touring band Bua, who also holds a master’s degree in music performance from the University of Limerick.
Even Manhattan-based sean-nós dancer and teacher Siobhán Butler admits that she once described sean-nós as “lame” because of its apparent simplicity, but that was before she fully understood it.
“My first impression was that it’s a really dumbed down version of step dancing,” said Butler, a step dancer since childhood who now teaches and performs sean-nos in New York City. “Years later, I would come back to this dance form.”
Butler and other sean-nós dancers agree that the most important element for shows and competition is the relationship between dancer and music -- it’s one.
“Growing up as a step dancer, you dance to the music. There was no tight relationship that I experienced,” said Butler, who later studied various forms of Irish dance under the tutelage of Boston-based dancer and teacher Kieran Jordan. In sean-nós, “music and dancing are intertwined,” she added.
Unlike CLRG-sanctioned dancing that is meticulously choreographed for shows and competition, sean-nós dancing is generally improvised, as the dancer plays off the live music.
A musician before a dancer, Ó hAirt said he had an ear for the music, so the percussive nature of sean-nós just made sense to him. Though he does consider himself a sean-nos dancer, Ó hAirt is careful not to define sean-nós because it is inherently an improvised form that varies widely throughout Ireland and the world -- just the act of giving it a name immediately serves as a way to generalize a collection of different dance forms. Sean-nós, he said, should be reflective of its place of origin, yet it should be improvisational.
“I can teach you the steps, but until you dance like the people of that region," Ó hAirt said, it's difficult to determine a dance style's authenticity.
"You can do the same step in different ways depending on what the musician is doing," Werner Ceusters, a Flemish sean-nós dance instructor living and teaching in Buffalo, N.Y., said. "Some dances lend themselves to the music, but in sean-nós, there is no frame."
Ceusters teaches what he calls Limerick-style sean-nos. Unlike the more recognized sean-nós dance style from the Connemara region of Ireland, Ceusters said that he practices a form of sean-nós that is a bit closer to what competitive step dancers do with their feet (higher on toes, fixed floor patterns), but Limerick style still puts emphasis on a more loosely-held upper body and improvisation according to the music.
Differences aside, all forms of "traditional" Irish dance (competitive step dancing, sean-nós, old-style step dancing, set dancing, ceili, brush dance, etc.) share common threads of history and culture passed on through generations.
Regardless of how the forms have evolved, the similarities are undeniable, and the history of Celtic culture has been preserved -- even in some some way -- through Irish dancing and music.
Dancers (left to right) Ceili Moore, Kevinah Dargan, Hannah Mong before prom.
Ceili Moore's prom night was typical for a lot of reasons: she donned a beautiful gown, danced with her friends, partied at a post-prom event and posed for loads of photos with other dolled-up gals.
What was different about her experience at this all-American coming-of-age high school dance is that Ceili flew in from Australia to attend.
That's not the only reason she traveled from the other side of the planet to be in the states. Ceili, the current Australian national Irish dancing champion in her age group, is stateside for the North American Irish Dance Championships, which are currently underway in Chicago.
She came over to the U.S. a week early to spend some precious time with her dear friends Kevinah and Fiona Dargan, both of whom are 2011 North American champions who dance for Rince Na Tiarna in Buffalo, N.Y.
Ceili Moore, Fiona and Kevinah Dargan, Eryn Lynch at Niagara Falls.
Kevinah, a soon-to-be college freshman, made arrangements to bring her Aussie friend along to prom and her graduation from Williamsville South High School. The Dargans and Ceili also attended a Buffalo Bisons baseball game, visited nearby Niagara Falls, ate classic American foods (Buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks, for example) and went go-karting.
And though their nationalities, accents, cultures, dance styles and life stories are different, Ceili and the Dargan sisters insist that the bond created through Irish dancing is stronger than most other friendships.
Even Tracy Marks Dargan, Kevinah and Fiona's mother, is close friends with Ceili's mom, Fiona Moore. Both moms are also former Irish dancers, and Fiona Moore is the first Australian dancer to win the World Irish Dancing Championships. The two talk almost daily, Tracy Marks Dargan said. Like their daughters, they maintain contact through Facebook, Skype and free phone applications.
Kevinah graduates from high school.
"I feel like Irish dancers all have that bond," Kevinah said. "Sometimes I feel closer to dance friends than my friends from school who I see every single day."
Fiona described the Irish dance part of her life as almost a second world, a reality that exists outside of everyday living.
"You might make a million mistakes in the real world, but in the Irish dance world, it's all erased," Fiona said.
Ceili, who dances for Scoil Rince Aisling in Australia, agreed with that sentiment, adding, "All of us give up so much for dancing. We are all in the same boat."
And while Kevinah and Ceili will both compete in the same age group (under 18, but different splits), they don't see each other as competition. In fact, they want to see each other win.
"We all know each of us work so hard," Ceili said. "It can go so many different ways."
Kevinah and Fiona Dargan, and Ceili Moore before prom.
Since all of the girls are national champions in their respective countries and age groups, there's potential for fierce rivalry. But, they explained, in this circle, it's about dancing the best you can and leaving the scoring up to the judges -- and they don't always score according to spectators' expectations.
"With other sports, when someone is better, that is your enemy," Kevinah said. But in her experience hanging with other top dancers, it's more about having friends who push you to be a stronger dancer. "You keep yourself in inspiring company."
If you've ever complained about not having enough time to devote to Irish dancing, just look at Brian Doherty for a little inspiration.
The professional photographer can be found wrapping up a shoot in Los Angeles one day and shuffling off to Asia with fellow "Lord of the Dance" performers the next. But Doherty doesn't seem to struggle to balance his two professional lives -- it's quite the opposite, actually.
"Photography and 'Lord of the Dance' sort of compliment each other," he said. "It allows me to be on stage and enjoy myself, but to be in these amazing places."
He said that he's known to run off with his camera while his castmates rest up before a show or rehearsals. One time, while on tour in Italy, he darted off to Venice upon learning that the picturesque city was just an hour from where the cast was staying.
When he's not capturing gorgeous foreign lands and super celebs (he recently shot photos for Perez Hilton, Snooki and Jenny McCarthy -- to name a few), find him mixing business with, well, business. He even shot the latest LOTD promotional photos while on tour in France.
"The only downside is that I'm in none of the photos," he said with a laugh. "It's weird having both of my worlds kind of combine."
Michael Flatley leads "Feet of Flames" troupe. Photo by Brian Doherty.
Doherty credits Irish dancing with helping him make a name for himself as a photographer. His very first photo gig was a favor for a fellow LOTD cast member who needed professional headshots. He said his stage experiences continue to inspire his photography.
"I feel like the stage lighting aspect has influenced my style," he added.
He's also had his hand in another media-meets-dance project. He worked as the producer of TapTronic's videos, aiding in the overall visual direction of the videos. He met TapTronic dancers Ciaran Plummer and Zach Klingenberg through LOTD, and he matched them up with a talented creative crew from Grammy-nominated Surefire Music Group to mix the music, and shoot and edit the videos.
And being known as the Irish dancing photographer helps, too, he admitted. When models and celebrities find out about his second life as a professional Irish dancer, they remember him, and it sometimes helps break the ice.
"Dancing makes me memorable," he said. "You wouldn’t see Jenny McCarthy dancing a jig at any other photo shoot."
Doherty is currently on tour with "Feet of Flames" in Taiwan.
Irish dance spectacular "Take the Floor" will debut in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 15 -- that's just over two months away -- but the cast isn't complete, rehearsals haven't begun and choreography is still a mystery.
Don't worry -- everything is going according to plan!
That's the whole point, said show directors Paula Goulding and Shane McAvinchey. This isn't your average dance show. It's more like an intense Irish dance workshop, MTV's "Making the Band" and Riverdance all rolled up into one unbelievable experience.
Over the course of 10 days, 50 promising Irish dancers will meet to learn an entire show's worth of choreography, get fitted for costumes and learn to work as a team to pull off what Goulding and McAvinchey promise to be a professional-level "unforgettable show" on the final day. Adding to the challenge, they're not really scouting seasoned show dancers. In fact, they're accepting applications from dancers with varying levels of show- and competition-dancing experience through June 11.
"It’s going to be immense," Goulding said of the challenge to pull off the project without a hitch. "But it’s going to be rewarding. We have to be meticulous. Everything has to be precisely scheduled."
In preparation for the hotly anticipated 10-day dance bootcamp and final show, Goulding and McAvinchey have been working and planning tirelessly. The two friends and cohorts have been envisioning this moment for months -- years, maybe. Shane said that the two have been dreaming up projects together since they met while touring with Riverdance. Since then, they've done other stage shows together and collaborated on various projects, including Diddlyi.com, a website that offers online step dance video lessons.
McAvnichey, a commission-certified Irish dance instructor for the Tir Na Nog school in Germany and Russia, explained that he, Goulding and a slew of "celebrity" choreographers will be focusing on transforming a group made up of predominantly competitive dancers into polished show dancers.
Not to be overlooked in the production is the live music that will accompany the dancers. Popular trad Irish band Beoga will be providing the robust soundtrack for the show.
"Beoga has a very recognizable style. It's so uplifting," Goulding gushed, the enthusiasm clearly audible in her tone. "They are -- in trad music terms, at the moment -- they’re like what One Direction is to pop. They are it."
With days until the show's debuts on Dublin's Helix stage dwindling, and all the planning pieces falling into place, McAvinchey anxiously awaits introducing a whole new generation of dancers to the life of a professional performer. From the moment dancers drop their dance bags on the studio floor on day one of rehearsals to the final bow, McAvinchey wants the dancers to have the fullest show experience.
"We want them to be going to bed wrecked tired at the end of the night, and then bouncing up in the morning because they can’t wait to get started again," McAvinchey said. "We want dancers to say, 'wow, that was amazing.'"
"Take the Floor" has been officially endorsed by Riverdance, and McAvinchey said that scouts from a variety of professional Irish dance shows have been invited to attend the one-night-only spectacle, opening a unique opportunity to any dancer interested in dancing professionally. For details on how to apply, visit the official "Take the Floor" website. And to see who's already been selected, check out "Take the Floor" on Facebook.
Check back here for news, results, photos, interviews and more! Help us celebrate Irish dancing by sharing this story with your friends, like us on Facebook, tweet the link or start a conversation with a comment in the message box below. THANK YOU!
