World champion dancers. Riverdance troupe members. Content creators. But above all else: brothers. Long before hitting the stage or breaking onto the social media scene, Irish dancing had always been a family affair for Michael and Matthew Gardiner.
Born in Denver, Colorado to Irish parents, the brothers followed the lead of their older sister, Anna. Michael first enrolled in dance lessons when he was four-years-old, and by the time Matthew started aged three, Irish dancing was just a part of everyday life. The family moved back to Clarinbridge, County Galway when Michael and Matthew were eleven and seven, respectively. Since then, they have trained and competed under the Hession School of Irish Dance.
Michael, 26, and Matthew, 23, have now expanded their Irish dancing to the social media landscape, attracting the attention of audiences all over the world with their creative videos. They have developed huge followings on multiple platforms, with 633K Instagram followers and a whopping two million TikTok followers and counting. They also recently celebrated reaching 100K subscribers on YouTube. Unsurprisingly, that’s already risen to more than 300K.
The Gardiners trace the origins of their creativity to the fact that their teachers never put them into a box. Even as young dancers just beginning to scratch the surface, they were eager to try new things, but there was always an emphasis on honing the basics first. “I don’t even know if they know that they’re doing it, but it’s part of the ethos of the Hession school,” Michael says. “They’re not just trying to churn out world champions or the best dancers. They’re churning out choreographers and teachers and future performers.”
This dual focus on craft and creativity laid the bedrock for experimentation within their steps, and soon, they were creating their own material. “Some of the stuff we came up with was outrageous,” Matthew says, “but that’s also what creativity is. You kind of have to find the balance.”
Creativity has also served them outside of the studio in their academic pursuits. Both brothers have university degrees that expanded their capacities for creative thinking. Michael is a qualified architect from the University of Limerick, and Matthew recently graduated from The National University of Ireland, County Galway as a qualified civil engineer. However, for the moment they are focusing their efforts on professional Irish dance.
Leading up to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the brothers were wrapped up in different legs of Riverdance’s 25th Anniversary tour, Michael at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and Matthew at the 3Arena in Dublin. Despite lockdowns forcing theatres to indefinitely close their curtains, the brothers turned this setback into a stepping stone that sent their careers in a completely new direction.
“Some of the stuff we came up with was outrageous, but that’s also what creativity is. You have to find the balance”
Matthew Gardiner
No longer an ocean apart, Michael and Matthew found themselves with newfound time at home, unlocking an opportunity that, until then, never had the chance to come to fruition: making Irish dance videos for social media. But the transition from stage to screen was not entirely unexpected.
“We always had an aim to do it at some stage, but we never got the time together,” Michael says. “I was either in college and Matthew was at school, or I was on tour and Matthew was at college; our timelines never lined up. So then when the pandemic hit, I remember going into Matthew’s room on the second or third day of the major lockdown, and Matthew said, ‘we have a real chance here to just go for it.’ And we didn’t know it was going to work, but we knew there was a chance.” Equipped with a stellar work ethic, matching passions for dance, and a pair of boards, the Gardiners made their initial forays into the world of social media.
They pinpoint their first viral video as their fast-paced routine set to Eminem’s ‘Rap God’. First released in May of 2020, the video gained massive traction on TikTok, an app that was still in its infancy. Soon after, a social media comedian reshared the video and put his own spin on it, boosting the Gardiner Brothers’ following and giving them the momentum to post more videos. Two years later, the dynamic sibling duo continue to sustain our TikTok and Instagram feeds with their innovative videos. “We loved doing it, because our dancing was taken away from us, so that was our whole dancing world at that stage,” says Matthew.
“We have a real chance here to just go for it”
Matthew Gardiner
While they’re experts at making their choreography look effortless, Michael and Matthew reflect on how much it has evolved. They recall being in the studio for six hours to create their first 30 second video. Now, it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour of total production time, which includes analysing the musical selection, nailing down the choreography, and then filming. They also might start with a song or trend from TikTok that they like. But they also assure us that the process isn’t always linear.
Along the way, the brothers have learned to redefine their understandings of success. They made competitive Irish dance history when they each won a world championship title in their respective age groups in 2015. “We put in so much hard work for where we wanted to get in competition,” Matthew says. “A dream of ours was always to win a world championship, and then a bonus was to win it together. It was amazing to share that success with the Hession school and our family.”
On the other hand, the brothers recognise that social media success is not as tangible as a trophy, but still rewarding nonetheless. “We’re so grateful for success in both worlds, but they’re both different and they’re both as exciting as each other,” Michael says. “And I don’t think we’d trade either one for anything.”
When you peel back the layers of views, likes, and shares, the heart of all the Gardiner Brothers’ endeavours is their palpable sibling connection. “It’s obviously phenomenal to be able to work with your brother,” Michael says. “People always ask us, ‘do we ever fight?’ Let’s be honest, everybody has an argument with their sibling, but I think Matthew and I have a pretty good relationship. I think the only time we ever argue…” Without missing a beat, Matthew finishes, “…is when we’re hungry.”
Quarrels aside, their choreography is truly groundbreaking, combining artistry and athleticism, along with trend and technique. In addition to their signature syncopation in hard shoes, the Gardiner Brothers are well-known for incorporating movements from other forms of dance, like disco and hip-hop. “It’s been a good challenge. I think it’s also helped our overall Irish dancing as well,” Michael says. “Because it’s helped us learn new ways to move our bodies.” Although, they do admit that some styles have been easier to pick up than others, but hope that their viewers are entertained either way. “Maybe they were laughing at us instead of with us,” says Matthew with a grin.
Once they reach the final product, a completed video exhibits the Gardiner Brothers’ unique personality and charm. They bring a fresh style to the table, starting with engaging backdrops and fresh wardrobe choices, from complementary flannels and sports jerseys to classic Aran knit sweaters and iconic green suits. Beyond traditional Irish tunes, they’ve also set their routines to contemporary music that spans a variety of genres and artists, including ABBA, Queen, and U2. “We’ve tried to hit as many as we can,” Michael says. “We’ve never said no to a certain style of music or a certain style of dance.” Some of their most recent smash hit videos on TikTok include routines to Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ (21.8M views), and ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the Bee Gees (24.6M views).
“I think the only time we ever argue is when we’re hungry”
The Gardiner Brothers
Above all, the Gardiner Brothers have transformed the screen into a stage in a way that hasn’t been done before, seeking not only to advance their own personal styles, but to challenge people’s perceptions of Irish dancing as well. “That was a goal of ours,” Matthew says, “to show how Irish dancing could progress and how modern and versatile it is.” They’re also sharing the viral world stage with other dancers like Cairde (some of whom went to the same dance school as the Gardiner Brothers) and Morgan Bullock (who they toured alongside in Riverdance).
This has appealed not only to viewers, but to businesses as well. While brand deals are not too common in the Irish dance world, it’s something that has always been on the brothers’ radar. “As young lads growing up, we’re obviously mad into the sports,” Michael says. “And we always used to wonder, maybe out of naivety, ‘Why do the world champion Irish dancers not have deals with Adidas or Nike?’ But really, when it came to it, we are athletes at the top of our game.”
They describe how surreal it has been to partner with brands like The Irish Store, Irish Rugby, even McDonald’s. Regarding one of their most popular ads for the Shamrock Shake, they estimate that it garnered around three million views. It’s exciting, Michael says, “to showcase that Irish dancing can be this incredibly entertaining thing, and it’s a sell for a brand.”
“When it came to it, we are athletes at the top of our game”
Michael Gardiner
Beyond the finer aspects of business, it all comes back to creativity and the desire to push the boundaries of Irish dance. “Our creativity only got better and better, because something that we learned, that we wouldn’t have thought about before, is that creativity takes practice as well,” Matthew says. They have cherished the ability to track the progress of their choreography, seeing how it’s changed and what they want to try next. Michael agrees: “Creativity buds more creativity, it’s kind of like this exponential thing.”
Their brothers’ dancing world would expand once again when, following an 18-month hiatus from the stage, the Riverdance 25th Anniversary tour resumed in the United Kingdom. “It was special to dance with each other and online was amazing. It was new to us, and it was like our virtual stage,” Matthew says. “But we were dying to get back on the actual, physical stage with the rest of the Riverdance cast,” he continues. “There’s something special about the extra connection with everybody else on stage and the energy of people in front of you instead of a camera and a ring light.”
Eager to bridge the gap with their digital audience, the brothers packed up their boards and brought their viewers along for the tour, sharing updates about their performances and creating videos using their city stops as backdrops. “We almost felt a responsibility to our followers,” Michael says. “They’ve given us so much support and love over the two years, so we wanted to keep giving them the videos while we travel.”
“Creativity buds more creativity, it’s kind of like this exponential thing”
Michael Gardiner
Fostering this sense of online community is one of the things that the Gardiner Brothers find most satisfying about their content creation. “That was one of our goals,” Matthew says, “to keep spreading Irish dancing when there wasn’t a lot going for Irish dancing, especially during the height of the pandemic.” Even as restrictions have lifted across the world and classes and major competitions have resumed, the Gardiner Brothers are still committed to creating videos that promote Irish culture and inspire the younger generation.
As they embark on a four-month US tour with Riverdance, they look forward to showcasing all facets of Irish dance, and themselves, on social media. “It’s helped us as people,” Michael says, “and I think it’s helped us as dancers and performers as well, because it’s all new, so we’re just trying to learn all the time.”
Follow the Gardiner Brothers on Instagram, and stay tuned for four themed covers with the FEIS app this year.
