“It’s kind of crazy that there’s still firsts in 2022,” Morgan Bullock tells The Irish Dance Globe over Zoom. “But you have to think about the fact that these are things we would have never even thought of doing before.” The Riverdance star, 22, from Richmond, Virginia, is talking about the honour of being one of the first Black dancers to perform in the legendary show.
She’s joined by two more dancers who are blazing the same trail – Ruth Charles, 27, from Dublin, Ireland who recently performed with Riverdance at Expo in Dubai, and world champion Elliot Kwelele, 16, from Dundalk, County Louth, who is in Riverdance’s flying squad, and was just 13 when he performed for Pope Francis at Croke Park, Dublin, in 2018.
The dancers’ professional journeys have intersected to make the current draft of Riverdance talent one of the most diverse ever. In Black History Month, we joined Morgan, Ruth, and Elliot for a video conversation to celebrate their momentous achievements, discussing what it means to be a person of colour dancing in the biggest Irish dance show in the world, and how Irish dancing has shaped their identity.
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Elliot: How did you both start Irish dancing?
Ruth: I went to a gaelscoil [Irish language speaking school] and we had lessons in the school. So then I think that I took up the lessons from there. And then I just started going to dance classes in the local community, and I just absolutely loved it. So the rest is history.
Morgan: I started Irish dancing fairly late. I had been doing ballet and other forms of dance from the time I was three. And then I saw Irish dancing for the first time [aged 10] at a dance recital and it was just like nothing I’d ever seen. It was mesmerising and I knew I wanted to do it.
Elliot: For me, there was a St Patrick’s Day event that was happening in my school. And there was normally an Irish dancing display. I remember I was in the audience, and I looked at them and I was like, ‘Oh, I definitely want to do that’. And then later that night, I asked my parents if I could take part in Irish dancing.
Ruth: How would you say Irish dancing has shaped you as a person?
Elliot: Irish dancing has shaped me in so many ways. It has inspired me to become the person I want to be in the future. Because Irish dancing makes you so productive and so occupied. Every Irish dancer, they’re always busy, they always have something they’re doing. If my friends ask me if I want to go on a night out or something, I have to say I have dancing. Irish dancing has made me really focused and really career driven.
Ruth: Yeah, I agree. I’d be a completely different person if I didn’t take up Irish dancing. It makes you think about who you want to be. And it helps you to mix with people, and I feel like it gives you empathy as well. Because you know that you’re giving up things. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t Irish dance. It saves my brain in so many ways.
Morgan: I think it definitely has helped me with my confidence and my ability to even speak in front of people, to be around people and be comfortable. And it’s connected me with people all around the world, and I’ve made some of the best friendships that I think I’ll ever have in my life through Irish dancing. And now to be able to say that my career involves Irish dancing, it’s just such an amazing thing.
“It’s such an honour to be touring with Riverdance, and to be one of the first Black people to do that, it means more than I think I can put into words.”
Morgan Bullock
Elliot: How did your parents react when they heard you wanted to take up Irish dancing?
Ruth: They loved it. I’m the first person in my whole family to start Irish dancing. And so they were delighted. And with Riverdance, it was kind of like we grew up with that. My mum and dad always used to bring me to feis’. It was actually really nice, because my dad used to come to the feis’ when I was younger, but then my mum and I would have like little weekend trips away. Obviously we were going to these places for feis’, but I really do feel like it gave us that chance to bond even more, we’re like best friends anyway. My family are so proud of me.
Elliot: Yeah, the same as you Ruth. They were so happy, but obviously they had the concern, would I fit in Irish dancing the way other people would have fit into it. Because when you think of an Irish dancer, you wouldn’t think of a Black person. So obviously that was something that was in the back of my mind. But it was something that I wanted to do, and because I won the World Championships [in 2019], not only am I representing myself, but I’m representing Ruth and Morgan, and they’re doing their own bits as well in Irish dancing. That’s so inspiring for other Black Irish dancers as well. And it’s creating a sense that not only a certain race can do this. That’s one thing I love about Irish dancing as well, it’s so inclusive.
Morgan: At first, my parents were kind of like, ‘why do you want to do that? It’s so different’. Especially being a person of colour and American. It’s not something that African American people typically do. So my parents just didn’t really know much about it. And they’re very supportive of everything that I wanted to try out. Growing up, I was able to try a lot of different activities, and nothing really stuck the way that Irish dancing did. So I think at first they kind of thought it was going to be another phase. My parents were very supportive, but a little bit hesitant just because it was a little bit out there for me.
“To dance in Riverdance as a Black person, I’m representing other people and it’s something that I’m very humbled by.”
Elliot Kwelele
The Irish Dance Globe: Ruth and Elliot, what about your parents’ reactions when they heard you were invited to dance at your first Riverdance flying squad gigs?
Ruth: It’s actually a funny story. I think I had been dancing for like four years professionally before I did my first Riverdance gig. My very first gig ever with a person of colour was the one with Elliot [at Slane Castle]. And I’ve always wanted to dance for Riverdance. And when I saw your name in the email, I was like ‘yay!’ So that was such a big moment for me. When I got the call, oh my goodness, my mum and dad got me flowers, a card. It was such a big deal. It’s indescribable, isn’t it?
I went to college, and then I was trying to get into tours for so long. And I was like, ‘look, I just don’t think it’s going to happen’. It got to the stage where I was like, ‘I’m just gonna have to accept the fact that maybe I’m just not what they’re looking for now’. I was like, ‘maybe I’m just not the stereotypical person’, which is fair, because I hadn’t really seen many Black Irish dancers or mixed race dancers doing the Irish dance part of shows, but probably just because there aren’t that many of us. There is now, there’s more coming. So when it came to the stage that I did get to dance with Riverdance I was literally over the moon.
Elliot: My first ever call to dance with Riverdance was actually when I was I think 12-years-old. I remember getting an email to dance with the Riverdance flying squad troupe. And the Pope was actually coming to Dublin and Croke Park, for a visit. And I got the email, of course, and I was just jumping everywhere. I was also one of the youngest people to dance with Riverdance, that was obviously something that I was really nervous about. But I danced with them and they made it so welcoming for me.
Morgan: How do you think the Irish dance world will look in the future? Are you concerned about maintaining Irish dance tradition?
Elliot: Personally I find it hard to tell. However, from when I started Irish dancing until now there’s been a significant change in the design and production of the girls’ costumes and the boys’ waistcoats, and of course the style of Irish dancing in terms of its execution. Of course, Irish dance is originally from Ireland, so it would be nice to still keep some of its traditions as that’s what makes Irish dance what it is. I definitely think that the world of Irish dance is so bright.
Ruth: I can see a very bright future for Irish Dance as it evolves every single day. Tradition wise, I think once there is always that powerful preciseness of dancing strongly in sync together, tradition will never be lost, as it’s tradition that won over everyone’s hearts in the first place.
“No matter your gender, your sexuality, your race, if you just believe and if you work hard enough, then no matter the obstacles, you’ll get there in some way, shape or form.”
Ruth Charles
Elliot: What about Irish dancing do you love so much?
Morgan: I think the thing that I love so much about Irish dancing is the community aspect. Even growing up competing, I was really close friends with my biggest competition. And it’s such a great community and atmosphere. When it comes to the dancing itself, I just love the fact that it’s so challenging. No matter how good you are, no matter how high in competitive placements or your career you are, there’s always something that you can strive for.
Ruth: For me, when I am onstage I feel like a different person. I feel like I have a different persona I bring out. It brings out the part of me that I’d like the world to see – the hard work, the passion.
Elliot: I’m exactly the same. One thing I love about it is that when I’m dancing, I completely forget about anything. If I’m going through something, when I’m dancing, it’s literally a time for me to think about myself and to just love Irish dancing.
The Irish Dance Globe: Ruth, what was the experience of dancing a longer version of the show in Dubai like?
Ruth: The atmosphere was absolutely out of this world, it was fantastic. I was beside Morgan walking out, it was honestly such a dream come true. And I’d been trying to get here for so long…I remember when I was younger, when I was in dance school and another little mixed race girl came into the class one day and I was like, ‘yay! Let’s do this’. And since then, I’ve aspired to inspire. So anyone at all, no matter your gender, your sexuality, your race, if you just believe and if you work hard enough, and if you want it hard enough, then no matter the obstacles, you’ll get there in some way, shape or form.
The Irish Dance Globe: What does it mean to be able to show the world just how diverse Irish dancing is?
Ruth: As I said when I saw Elliott’s name on the email, I was absolutely delighted because I’ve always been like the only one. Not that I’d always feel like that. But I remember because we were each other’s opposites [on stage]. It really was like, a big deal. It really did make it the cherry on top.
Elliot: It really was the cherry on top. What more can you ask for? That was literally a dream and something I always wanted to achieve when I started dancing, to experience what it’s like to dance with Riverdance. Because when I was young, I used to watch videos, but I’d never seen a Black dancer ever dancing with Riverdance. So it was like, ‘would it ever be possible for me to even experience that or have that opportunity?’ But when I got the email, it was just absolutely amazing. So it was something that was very meaningful to me, and to dance in Riverdance as a Black person, I’m representing other people and it’s something that I’m very humbled by.
Morgan: To me, as someone who grew up watching Riverdance and watching Irish dancing and not really seeing very many people of colour doing it, the fact that there are three of us here who have performed with Riverdance – the biggest Irish dance show – it’s amazing. It’s such an honour to be touring with Riverdance, and to be one of the first people of colour to do so – specifically one of the first Black people to do that – it means more than I think I can put into words. Because it’s another barrier that you wouldn’t even really think was there. And it’s not like it was intentionally placed. It’s just like it’s another space that we’re entering and being accepted into.
Morgan Bullock, 22, is from Richmond, Virginia and currently performing on the 25th Anniversary tour with Riverdance. She started Irish dancing aged 10 and trains with the Baffa Academy.
Ruth Charles is 27, from Dublin, Ireland, and performed with Riverdance at Expo in Dubai 2021 and other flying squad performances. She started Irish dancing when she was four with the Saul School in CRN, and moved to Scoil Rince Uí She in CLRG at age nine. She is a three-time Leinster champion, and is a special needs assistant who also works in the arts and entertainment industry.
Elliot Kwelele, 16, is a world champion from the McGee School of Irish Dance, and has been dancing for eight years. He is currently a sixth year Leaving Certificate student, planning to attend university and dance professionally. He has performed in several Riverdance flying squad gigs including Festival of Families at Croke Park where Pope Francis was in attendance.
