Back-to-school season is in full swing and university students are returning to campuses in droves, ready (or not) for another school year of studying, partying, and Irish dancing.
“Irish dancing,” you may ask, “at college?” Usually, when we picture our practice venues, we think of everything from church basements to local professional studios, even hotel ballrooms. It’s a bit more unusual to imagine Irish dancing taking place in the same spaces as the hallowed halls of academia.
But Irish dancing clubs and societies at universities and colleges have been building in popularity in recent years and, over in the US, the Collegiate Irish Dance Association (CIDA) wants students to remember that just because you are at college does not mean you have to stop participating in Irish dance — far from it. We spoke to TCRG and CIDA co-national coordinator Rory Beglane to learn more about the world of college Irish dance and how you can get involved.
Tell us about CIDA. How did it first start and what was your inspiration for founding the organisation?
CIDA started out of growth from the first college Irish dance competition in 2013. Villanova hosted the first ever event, where Megan Dunn-Peters attended as the president of the University of Dayton Irish Dance Team, Zack Warshaw attended as an assist organising the event as a University of Vermont President alum, and Rory Beglane was the Villanova Irish Dance captain. The three of us have spent years together after, and we knew how important this opportunity was for college students, because of what it meant to us when we were students. Since that first event where eight schools gathered for the first time, it has become a much more established organisation, with the three of us working together to continue its growth.
CIDA’s motto is “Dance Another Day” — what does this mean to you and how does your organisation embody this saying? What specific actions does it take to enact this?
“Dance Another Day” was born based on the dancers in college Irish dance. Although there are still dancers who compete in what we refer to as “mainstream” Irish dance, the vast majority of college Irish dancers no longer compete. Without their college teams, they likely would have stopped dancing. However, the Collegiate Irish Dance Association allows them to “Dance Another Day” and continue a passion without having the intensity of the competitive world.
Can you explain the competition structure? How many do you host each year?
On a regular schedule, there has been one fall semester competition, one spring semester competition, and our National Championships. Over the years there have been some one-off competitions, but nothing established annually. The competitions are composed of ceilis, some solo dances such as traditional sets or treble reels, and our premier event the “Fun Number”. All in all, we like to say we have the professionalism of a major championship but not the intensity. Teams are there first and foremost for fun and love of dance.
How do associations with Irish dance governing bodies work? Is CIDA associated with a worldwide body such as CLRG, or is it an open platform-type structure?
At the IDTANA National Convention in Montreal in 2022, a motion was passed to recognise CIDA as an affiliated body of the IDTANA (The Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America). This was truly the recognition for our hard work over the previous nine years being worthwhile. With that motion, the easiest way to explain what was established is that if any issues arise of a conflict of rules, IDTANA will work with CIDA to figure out the best solution. This was huge for us as an organisation as we were continuing to host events with approval, but no established relationship. Now, as a governing body we have the ability to ensure the best practices of Irish dance are followed by the college teams, and gives us the recognition as an official organization as opposed to a group of colleges working together. Already in our first year we hosted our inaugural National Championship, and hope to see even more growth now that we are established as an affiliated organisation.
What recommendations do you have for dancers going off to college who are interested in continuing Irish dancing?
First and foremost, we have our website as a central resource for all things college Irish dance. I myself was contacting every college I applied to, in order to see if they had an Irish dance team. Now, there is a “one stop shop” where we have all registered teams listed and their contact information. If there is a college where there isn’t a team, we have helped the dancer establish a team. Although we don’t know the ins and outs of the university, we help guide in who to talk to, establishing any necessary paperwork like a constitution, or other required university documents to be recognised as a club and receive funding. We really aim to be the central resource for all things college Irish dance.
Learn more on the CIDA website.
