Ladies 20-21
1- Olivia Griffin - Butler-Fearon-O'Connor - Western USA
2- Nadine Martin - Doherty - Midlands, England/Wales
3- Lauren Early - Doherty - Cuige Uladh
4- Jodie Osborne - Montgomery Taylor - Scotland
5- Shannon Daly - Grainne Feely - Cuige Laighean
Men Over 21
1- Michael Holland - Richens-Timm - Mid-America USA
2- Jan Gaca - Ceim Oir - Southern England
3- Daithi Fisher - Doherty - Cuige Uladh
4- Benedict Devlin - Maguire-O'Shea - Southern England
5- Sam Davies - Ui She - Cuige Laighean
Ladies Over 21
1- Suzanne Coyle - McLaughlin - Scotland
2- Claire Greaney - Hession - Cuige Chonnacht
3- Simona Mauriello - Maguire-O'Shea - Southern England
4- Emma Warren - Elaine Kavanagh - Cuige Laighean
5- Siobhan Casey - Doherty - Midlands, England/Wales
http://www.irishdancing.com/?q=node/27043
Monday, 9 April 2012
World Irish Dance Championships 2012
This weekend I was lucky to get the opportunity to head down to the Waterfront Hall in Belfast to watch the championships. The competitons that I watched were the Ladies 20-21, ladies over 21 and the Men over 21. The standard of talent at this level was unbelievable to watch live and there was a real atmosphere of competition in the air.
There appeared to be a "trend" within certain dance movements. For example, in the soft shoe round there was a lot of 360 degree spins in the air, and other turns with one foot coming off the ground in the middle of the spin. Of course high jumps and travelling across the stage as much as possible was as predominant as ever. One thing that surprised me, was the lack of competitiors performing rocks in their dances, as this used to be a very popular step. In the heavy shoe round it was all about toes and heels. Travelling them whislt creating a variety of ryhthms and speeds made it very interesting to watch. My guess is that as toes have become a strong component of the dances, core strength has had to play a big part. As I walked around the practice areas I noticed a lot of competitors using stomach exercises as a form of warm up.
There appeared to be a "trend" within certain dance movements. For example, in the soft shoe round there was a lot of 360 degree spins in the air, and other turns with one foot coming off the ground in the middle of the spin. Of course high jumps and travelling across the stage as much as possible was as predominant as ever. One thing that surprised me, was the lack of competitiors performing rocks in their dances, as this used to be a very popular step. In the heavy shoe round it was all about toes and heels. Travelling them whislt creating a variety of ryhthms and speeds made it very interesting to watch. My guess is that as toes have become a strong component of the dances, core strength has had to play a big part. As I walked around the practice areas I noticed a lot of competitors using stomach exercises as a form of warm up.
Winning Performance
There are very few dance pieces that I can watch over and over again without getting bored, and still manage to find something new and exciting that I love about it each time I watch it. There are also very few pieces that I can't put into words my exact thoughts on them because of how simply unbelievable they are. This is one of them! And this is why I dance!
Could not find a group of dancers who deserved to win the show any more than Prodijig. Excited to see what the future holds for them and Irish Dance as they continue to Change The Game.
Semi Final Performance
Love the sheer speed of their movements in this one. I agree with Ashley Banjo's comments on the music, their first performance is still slightly better in my opinion.
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Change the Game
I can hear the world Of Irish dance screaming with delight at this. We've had Riverdance, we've had Lord of the dance, we've changed the perception of Irish dance...and now We have a new breath of fresh air. The genius behind this piece of work is Alan Kenefick, a lead role in Riverdance.
This piece of work said a few things to me when I first watched it. Firstly, Irish dance is going to survive when Riverdance sees it's final day. As sad as that day will be, it will now be an exciting one as the world has seen that Irish Dance is going to take a new journey and amaze us once again. Secondly, Irish Dance is still clearly one of the most, if not the most, physically and technically difficult forms of dance to master and it takes a real dedication and passion to the dance to portary that onstage.
I have my fingers and toes crossed that Prodijig will go on to win this season of Got To Dance, but I'm confident that no matter what the outcome, these seven dancers are about to change the world of dance as we know it and change the game for us Irish Dancers!
Riverdance
To say that I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to see Riverdance live at the Gaiety Theatre this summer is an understatement. Having began my dancing journey through Irish Dance classes at the age of three, I had always been inspired by jean Butler and Colin Dunne and what they had done for the art form. However,I had never seen Riverdance live or the full recorded version until this Summer.
My First impressions of the show was the audience members. I was surprised by two things. Firstly, that the theatre was full as this was the second last night of their summer run in Dublin and secondly by the age and gender range of the audience. It was quite evident by looking around, that this was a show that had the ability to attract both dancers and non-dancers.
The show overall, couldn't have been any more different than what I had in mind. Not only was it a celebration of Irish history and the courage of it's people, but it was a celebration of dance as a whole and how we as a culture choose to embrace that. The mix of Flamenco and tap dancing added colours and layers to the performannce and contrasted the traditional Irish dance very well.
One of the best things about the performance, and it is quite rare to find in such an intense and physically demanding live piece of work, was the high energy levels throughout the show. The dancers were all technically brilliant and the main leads ensured that the audience felt as though they were on a journey with the dancers. It was nice to see that even though Jean Butler, Colin Dunne and Michael Flately put the show on the map, It's the show itself that draws people back year after year and having amazing dancers, musicians and vocalists is purely just a bonus.
I think that sometimes, as a dancer, when I realise how long I've been doing this for and the amount of time, effort and sacrafices I have put into dance, it can become quite easy to question if I'm on the right path and ultimately if all the effort is going to be worth it in the long run. Watching Riverdance, was a strong remainder that my instant love of dance at a young age was the reason I began dancing. There are no words to describe how I truly felt about that one performance, and likewise there are no words to describe the passion and reasons behind my love for dance.....That is why I dance and will continue to do this for the rest of my life. It is who I am.
My First impressions of the show was the audience members. I was surprised by two things. Firstly, that the theatre was full as this was the second last night of their summer run in Dublin and secondly by the age and gender range of the audience. It was quite evident by looking around, that this was a show that had the ability to attract both dancers and non-dancers.
The show overall, couldn't have been any more different than what I had in mind. Not only was it a celebration of Irish history and the courage of it's people, but it was a celebration of dance as a whole and how we as a culture choose to embrace that. The mix of Flamenco and tap dancing added colours and layers to the performannce and contrasted the traditional Irish dance very well.
One of the best things about the performance, and it is quite rare to find in such an intense and physically demanding live piece of work, was the high energy levels throughout the show. The dancers were all technically brilliant and the main leads ensured that the audience felt as though they were on a journey with the dancers. It was nice to see that even though Jean Butler, Colin Dunne and Michael Flately put the show on the map, It's the show itself that draws people back year after year and having amazing dancers, musicians and vocalists is purely just a bonus.
I think that sometimes, as a dancer, when I realise how long I've been doing this for and the amount of time, effort and sacrafices I have put into dance, it can become quite easy to question if I'm on the right path and ultimately if all the effort is going to be worth it in the long run. Watching Riverdance, was a strong remainder that my instant love of dance at a young age was the reason I began dancing. There are no words to describe how I truly felt about that one performance, and likewise there are no words to describe the passion and reasons behind my love for dance.....That is why I dance and will continue to do this for the rest of my life. It is who I am.
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