News of the Boston Marathon bombing was bad enough, but we learned today that a little Irish dancer and her mother were seriously injured in the blasts, and her brother lost his life. Jane Richard, a 7-year-old dancer for the Clifden Academy in Massachusetts, reportedly lost her leg in the bombing that occurred near the … Continue reading »
A mysterious group of dancing ninjas is more than meets the eye. Last week, the Fusion Fighters, described by an anonymous representative of the group as “an elite performance crew, utilising and combining various characteristics of dance, music, comedy, technology and film” released a video on YouTube that prompted laughter, awe and a little confusion. … Continue reading »
It feels like everyone’s jumping on the “Harlem Shake” bandwagon, and Irish dancers are no exception. For the last few weeks, Irish dance troupes from around the world have been uploading their own renditions of the viral video craze to YouTube. I’ve posted a bunch of those videos below, including the one that my fellow … Continue reading »
It can be tough buying Christmas gifts for Irish dancers because the options, until recently, have been fairly limited. Sure, we’ve all seen the Irish dancer Christmas ornaments, but it’s annoying when the tiny dancer’s feet aren’t crossed or pointed. Or maybe the apparel isn’t entirely historically/culturally accurate. Irish dancers are picky, right? Well, lucky … Continue reading »
Creators of “Take the Floor,” this summer’s Irish dance spectacular that came together in the matter of days, released a behind-the-scenes video on YouTube today. Over the course of 10 days, show directors Paula Goulding and Shane McAvinchey taught more than 50 dancers the ins and outs of Irish show dancing. The majority of the … Continue reading »
Michael Flatley and film industry mogul Harvey Weinstein have created an award show to honor all the best lords and ladies of the dance. According to a Guardian article, Flatley came up with the idea for the “World Dance Awards,” and Weinstein was all over the idea, too. So the two decided to team up … Continue reading »
TLC has finally released a sneak peek of its hotly anticipated “Big Jig” special. The YouTube teaser’s info says that the special will follow five American dancers to the World Irish Dancing Championships in Belfast. In April, a talent scout for the show had reached out to me, and I wrote a post about it … Continue reading »
In June, the New York Times published a gallery featuring Irish dancers at the World Irish Dancing Championships in Belfast. Some of the photos accurately depicted the image of an offstage dancer before/after she competed. The tan lines, overly made-up faces, outrageous wigs — it’s all captured and presented to the world. Now, the misery … Continue reading »
TapTronic posted a second astoundingly entertaining video to YouTube this morning. Dancers Ciaran Plummer and Zach Klingenberg’s first Irish dance dubstep video amassed more than a half-million views on YouTube since being posted to YouTube two months ago. I had the pleasure of interviewing Plummer and Klingenburg for IrishCentral in early May. It was the … Continue reading »
Breandan De Gallai, original Riverdance cast member and respected creator-choreographer of Noctu, would like a few (more) good men to audition for his new show, “The Rite of Spring.” From the official Noctu Facebook page: Dear all, I’m about to make my final decision around the casting of “The Rite of Spring”, but would still … Continue reading »
