It’s mid-way through the 50th Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, and I’m sitting in the Belfast Waterfront auditorium as one set of recalls are coming out. There are screams of shock, elation, disbelief, followed by patches of deathly silence. There are joyful cries from dancers who have already achieved their personal best just by recalling, and relieved sighs from others who are one step closer to their dream result. But there’s also hushed sighs and quiet tears of disappointment. Within one room there is so much joy and sadness.
Later, results are announced. Counting down the places, again there are cheers of happiness, delight, relief. The screams at 11th and 6th place are deafening, as those lucky remaining dancers realise they have made it into the final stretch. And then comes the announcement of second place, two people hoping desperately that their number isn’t the one that’s called. Time seems to stand still in this moment, before one section of the room erupts with euphoria. It feels like there is no single place in the world with more happiness inside it. It’s the kind of happiness that can only come about after hundreds and hundreds of hours of hard work, uncertainty, and sacrifice. It’s the kind of happiness that can only be earned – a happiness that can barely be put into words. And it’s completely and utterly infectious.
We’ve waited three years to get back to another An Coimisiún World Championships, and Irish dancing has never felt so important. Over the course of the pandemic, Irish dancers and athletes around the world have been deprived of the unmatched feelings that sport brings. It’s been an unglamorous two years, to say the least. Solo practice, zoom calls, socially distanced classes and feiseanna. Dancers were forced to adapt and maintain motivation when there really was no light at the end of the tunnel. There were times when it was truly hard to imagine a day when we would be back at a World Championships.
But throughout the peak of Covid-19, when a return to normal felt very far away, The Irish Dance Globe spoke to dancers who were innovating, adapting, creating, and trying to create something good out of this dark time. In the middle of the second UK lockdown, Lauren Smyth, who created a series of dance challenges on her Instagram, told us, “We’re still dancers, whether we’re dancing in a theatre or in our backyard in the freezing cold”. For Riverdance lead Jason O’Neill, this was an opportunity to venture out onto the desolate streets of Belfast to create a lockdown series of pop culture inspired dance videos.
But for competitive dancers just trying to maintain regular practice, there wasn’t so much scope for creativity. We spoke to Megan Stewart, who, after winning the All Irelands in 2020, was deprived of a shot at the top of the World podium. But she was determined to keep working. “At some point, we’ll hopefully be back to an All Irelands or Worlds, and I want to come out dancing my best, showing off all the work I’ve done,” she told us. Just over a year later, she did just that, taking home second place and her best Worlds result ever. That quiet resilience was evident in many of the champions week spoke to throughout the week.
In our August/September 2021 cover interview with Orla Godley, she detailed the reasons behind her initial retirement, which included a struggle with body image. But when she attended the All Irelands in February 2019, she realised how much she missed Irish dancing, so she made a quiet return. “I focused on bringing myself to realise why I love dance,” she said, practising alone while she rediscovered her passion. She won her third World title in Belfast.
“I kept my head down, I listened to my teachers”
Elliot Kwelele
This mindset carried world champions through the actually competitions, too. I found myself thinking a lot about something Elliot Kwelele told us, that didn’t make it into the final edit of our video interview. “I kept my head down, I listened to my teachers,” he said of his day dancing at the worlds. For so many of the winners throughout the week, the glamour of their win was just a tiny fraction of a relentless journey. “What it takes to be a world champion is extremely, extremely hard work,” Blanaid O’Neill told us. “A lot of people think you win it once, then you get up and everyone knows who you are, and you can just dance. But it’s everything that goes on behind the scenes, all the tears, all the sleepless nights thinking “I can’t do this”.
It’s easy to be starstruck by the magic of their winning moments, but every champion we spoke to displayed a deep, humble gratitude that stemmed from unparalleled hard work in order to have their time on the podium. Ironically, though, with three years having passed since the last World Championships, it almost felt as if no time had passed at all. Many of the dancers who qualified two years ago held on to their spots and worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure they still made it to the Worlds. I felt especially in awe of the senior men and ladies who persevered to take their rightful place on the World stage when retirement would have been a tempting option.
Undoubtedly, the World Championships felt incredibly special this year, and the attention to detail to make it a memorable 50th celebration did not go unnoticed. Whether it was the various country themed days, even with personalised stage banners each day, the fantastic An Re Orga video, featuring more than 60 dancers across nine countries, showing just how global Irish dance is, or the brilliant interviews from world champion, former Riverdance lead, and RTE journalist Carla O’Brien. It’s no surprise that the event saw appearances from a few famous faces, from Irish dance legend Michael Flatley, to Love Island star and influencer Molly-Mae Hague.
What it takes to be a world champion is extremely, extremely hard work”
Blanaid O’Neill
One of the highlights of the competition was also the addition of FEIStv.com. What an absolute game-changer for Irish dancers and spectators, who can now watch an entire competition from the comfort of their home, work, or just about anywhere, the same way we would the Olympics. The FEIS app exclusively shared to us that there was well over 100,000 hours of Irish dancing watched, with viewers from all over the world across the week. They also revealed that they aim to cover as many of the major Irish dancing competitions as possible moving forward. The music from the FEIS App was, as always, on point. The bar for Irish dancing music has never been higher, and massive props has to go to the FEIS App team, and all the musicians who played across the week, for keeping tracks fresh, lively, and truly a joy to listen and dance to.
There was a notable absence, however, as Feis.photos were not in attendance taking action shots, after their contract was revoked in light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. For dancers who would attend the World Championships and leave without recall, in previous years there was at least always the special memories of action shots – which the Feis.photos team were masterfully skilled at in capturing dancers at their most athletic moments. They were sorely missed, along with Russian dancers who were barred from competing. We stand with Ukraine and with all those who are suffering because of the crimes of their government.
The World Championships also offered some time for reflection about those who did leave without a recall. It’s easy to overlook the hundreds and hundreds of dancers who departed from the Waterfront each day disappointed, feeling invisible in the moments where many others were celebrating. But it’s so important to remember that those who do go home without recalls often put in the same amount of hours, dedication and sacrifices, and just because the results weren’t as hoped, it does not invalidate the Olympic athlete standards of training that goes into reaching this standard. Often there are just fractions between placements at this high level of dancing, and while many left without a medal, every single dancer had already proved their worth to be on that World stage.
But with every disappointment, comes the opportunity to improve. And that is why Irish dancing continues to draw people back again, and again, and again. The prospect of doing better next time is what continues to pull us back from the disappointments. This was best displayed in my favourite story of the World Championships. Under 12 dancer Anna McClew from Scoil rince An Chroí didn’t even qualify for the Worlds at the Ulster Championships. Placing ninth, she only secured a qualifying spot when the All Irelands didn’t take place this year, so an extra couple of spots were given out. Anna only found out in February that she would be attending the Worlds, and secretly made herself a Word document with her own training regime. She kept her head down and did the work. Anna and her teachers were fighting for recall at the Worlds, but instead she took home second place. It was a true fairytale moment that proved anyone’s dreams can come true if they have the courage to pursue them. If you haven’t watched our interview with Anna and the reaction of her teachers just yet, check it out below. You won’t regret it.
Watching someone be crowned a world champion is enough to motivate any dancer. But the journey up to that one day is years in the making. It takes hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes dedication – classes, late nights, early mornings, sacrifices and huge financial strain – to make these moments happen. And with so much at stake at the Worlds that we waited so long for, it was a stark reminder that there is no competing at such a high level without a complete and utter love for the sport. Those who can withstand the heartbreak and the disappointment will agree the obsession is with dancing rather than results. It’s an obsession with the music, the rhythms, choreography that could bring a tear to your eye, or that moment in class when you finally nail your set dance. It’s an obsession with the friendships, the travel, the memories, and the determination to overcome all the challenges along the way. It’s an obsession with the things that pulled us into this complete and utterly mad world in the first place.
