One of the biggest effects that TikTok has had during its peak over the last two years, is its ability to give everyone a chance at stardom. Whether it’s home DIY hacks, paint mixing, or relatable skits, it’s given people stardom for doing things that never would have had a chance at global fame. This has been the backdrop to the Irish dancing revolution on TikTok over the past year. The world has truly gone Irish dancing mad, as if this centuries old art form has only just landed on people’s radar. But it’s not so much the catchy rhythms, rapid footwork or even the novelty of seeing someone dance with dead straight arms that has caused this mass adoration of Irish dance, but rather its fusion with modern music.
21-year-old Morgan Bullock, who really doesn’t need an introduction at this point, was at the forefront of the Irish dancing TikTok mania. The Richmond, Virginia, based college student’s May 2020 video dancing to Beyoncé’s remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’ blew up in a way that would change everything for her. “It was honestly just very surreal,” she says. “It was completely unexpected.” Not only did Megan Thee Stallion herself like the video, but Beyoncé’s mom shared it on Instagram (innocently calling her a “tapper”), among numerous other high profile names showing love for the video. Morgan also got invited to perform with Riverdance, and received an invitation from Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to dance in Ireland. On top of this, she’s been interviewed by dozens of publications around the world.
Despite having danced since she was three, and Irish danced from age 10, it was “boredom and curiosity” that got Morgan onto TikTok. Taking inspiration from the younger dancers at The Baffa Academy where she trains, lockdown motivated her to get her shoes back on. “I just decided to do that and then everything else happened,” she laughs. However her viral fame was somewhat tainted after she was subjected to ignorant accusations of “cultural appropriation” due to the fact that she is a Black Irish dancer. “It was kind of a shock because…it was just people who didn’t really know much about Irish dance, and didn’t know me personally,” she says. “I’ve been Irish dancing for over half of my life. It was just something I had never experienced before [in the Irish dance community].”
Despite this bittersweet tinge to her success, she argues that the “amount of positivity that came from it really outweighs the negative.” She adds: “It made it a lot easier to just focus on all of the amazing reactions rather than the negative people who just use social media as a way to anonymously spread hate.” While such comments prompted her to explain the difference between “cultural appropriation” and “cultural appreciation”, she says that when she started out in Irish dance, she didn’t feel like she was “that much different” other than her skin color. She adds: “My parents I feel really prepared me well for that. They were like: ‘You’re going to be the only girl there who looks like you. That’s fine, just listen to your teacher, do what you’re supposed to do.’ ” Morgan first witnessed Irish dancing at her studio where she danced ballet and tap among other forms. “I hadn’t really seen or heard of Irish dance before,” she says. When she watched the dancers, it was “love at first sight”. She adds: “It was like nothing I’d ever seen before.”
Morgan has become a stalwart for the Irish dancing community, encouraging other dancers from diverse backgrounds that there is a place for them in Irish dancing. “It’s just so amazing to me that more and more people from different backgrounds are exploring Irish dancing and Irish culture. Even in the time that I’ve been dancing, I’ve seen it grow so much, and seen so many more people who look like me join in and just find a love in Irish dancing, the same way that I did.” She continues: “Because Irish dance itself is a dance form that was born out of oppression, it really has stood the test of time.”
And she is still riding the wave of opportunities that her viral video created almost one year ago now. Most recently, she was gifted Beyoncé’s Ivy Park Adidas collection, a gesture that often brings even A-list celebrities to tears. When Morgan first saw the email from Parkwood Entertainment Group, she assumed it was a prank. “Some time went by and I hadn’t heard anything. And I was like ‘okay, it was fake, whatever,’ ” she says. “But then I got the pieces in the mail and I instantly recognized what the box was because it was the backdrop that she had been sending to actual, real celebrities.” When Morgan was at work, her mom sent a video of her opening the box squealing “Oh my God Morgan it’s real! You got Ivy Park wear!” She used the gifted apparel to collaborate with a local production company to showcase the collection through her dancing.
Morgan has also experienced her fair share of competitive success, achieving a personal best World Championship result of 43rd in 2019 and third place at her regional Oireachtas this year. But the past year has allowed her to see Irish dancing through a more creative lens. “I just kind of try to let the choreography come to me. If I’m listening to the radio or just inspired by anything in life that happens, I try to just come up with things in the moment,” she says. “And I have so many voice memos on my phone, and it’s just like ‘diddly diddly’, like talking through it, stuff that comes to me at random times.” Being given advice from her dance teacher who she says is like a mentor to her, she was reminded to not focus too much on technique and rather show the fun she’s having with it.
Sharing the views of other Irish dancing TikTokers, Morgan believes it has taken off so much because it has shown just how versatile Irish dancing can be. “We’re not wearing the big panels skirts and super tall poodle socks in our videos. We’re wearing casual clothes, dancing to contemporary music.” She adds: “I think all of the dancers who are now going viral on TikTok, we all still appreciate the traditional side of Irish dance…It is fun to just switch it up a little bit and show that Irish dancing can be cool, even though I think it’s cool anyway.”
While Morgan has had the eyes of the world on her over the last year, her passion and love for the Irish dance community still runs deep. “My favourite thing is just how connected we all are and how supportive everyone is of each other,” she says. “My experience as an Irish dancer has been such a great and open, accepting experience. I don’t really feel like I should have to be ‘accepted’ per se, but I just think it’s so great how so many members of the dance community have, after [me] receiving hate or a backlash for my videos…made it known that they support me.”
In the future Morgan hopes she can make a career out of touring with a show and simultaneously doing social media work. She also knows just what potential impact her story can have on younger dancers aspiring for such a future. “Go for it because you never know if you don’t try,” she says. “There’s always an audience out there for your talent. You work hard, you should feel free to share it with the world…these apps exist for you to share your creativity. And if people have anything negative to say, just remember, it’s social media, they’re hiding behind a screen and they don’t know you in real life.”
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