Bernadette Galbraith

A panicked shriek echoes from a side corridor, “But it’s not right, it’s going to look stupid!” and it becomes hard to make sense of what drama lies ahead amongst the hustle and bustle of high kicks and jumps.  As the shriek turns into a whimper, a small girl is uncovered in a corner despairing over hair accessories with her mum. In the midst of a competition fever, tensions are particularly high when it comes to presentation. After all, every dancer knows that their presentation is a key element to the overall product.

 

From the moment their dance is announced and they’re set to walk on stage, something clicks within, leading the body to straighten up and grow in strength. As a queue of perfectly poised dancers look on ahead at the daunting stage, they know the countdown is on. I watch from afar, interpreting their behaviour. I can only imagine what they’re thinking. A group of girls matched against each other is ruthless at the best of times but throw in the taxing conditions of a competition, the rewards of a glistening trophy and the stakes just got a whole lot higher.

 

For a sport which was originally passed throughout towns and down generations and developed through a sense of community spirit, this competitive aspect snarling beneath the surface has transformed the ways in which people perceive Irish dancing today. Even regarding dance as a sport is something which has been heavily debated over the years and now as dancers have come to train meticulously and compete for titles, the world of Irish dance has expanded into a hub of sparkling merchandise. A typical competition, commonly known as a feis (the Gaelic term meaning festival and pronounced fesh), will entice young dancers with an abundance of stalls draped in goodies. From sock glue to sparkling tiaras, the large selection available leads dancers to believe they not only want a piece of the lavish accessories on offer but more importantly, that they are a necessity.

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You may have the traditional idea of an Irish dancer in mind; depicting a fair-skinned vision with flowing raven black hair or tight ringlets of auburn locks and sprinkled with a dusting of freckles. But it appears this is no longer the case. Today, you would have more chance of bumping into a life-size Barbie. In the hours that precede the allocated performance slot, a gruelling hair and make up regime gets underway and after some time powdering and spraying, the pale skin that once remained is replaced by the impersonation of a bronzed goddess. Polluting the changing rooms with fake tan fumes is just the beginning for the dancers, as they then move onto the impressive application of curly wigs, which have recently become more of a prominent feature. With curls being the favoured hairstyle, ringlet wigs became a natural progression over time in order to quicken the process. However, what isn’t so natural is the platinum blonde wigs that are continuously popping up on the heads of those that naturally differ in hair colour. These mini Dolly Parton’s are a far cry from Ireland’s roots and lead one to wonder where this glamorisation has come from.

 

Teacher of the McManigan Academy of Irish Dance, Nula Sullivan believes there are significant reasons behind the careful preservation of appearance, “When you watch someone dance, it’s visual… it’s more pleasing to the eye.” The application of fake tan was not a trend back when Nula was competing twenty years ago but they did wear sheer coloured tights, which demonstrates an existing awareness around presentation even then. Not only this but she also emphasises the importance of it, “There’s no real ceiling on it because you can always improve presentation.” This is particularly true at championship level when technique has already been mastered. As a result, a multitude of trends emerge, giving dancers license to endlessly reinvent themselves.

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The Irish Dancing Commission (also known as, An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha/CLRG) is the oldest governing body for competitive Irish step dancing globally. Despite the system seemingly judging your worth as a dancer on a scale of how good you look rather than how good you dance, their rule book argues otherwise. As of April 2016, the CLRG rules on presentation, under section 4.5.1 state: “Make-up will not be permitted for any dancer in the first two grades (Bungrad and Tusgrad or equivalent) up to and including the under 12 age group worldwide).” Due to this rule specifically relating to the level of dancer, it supports the idea of presentation being used as a tool to stand out amongst the many.

 

London-based Irish dance adjudicator, Kirsty Baker admits, “There is an expectation upon female dancers to tan at championship level,” and as she moves on to explain that almost a third of the points are awarded for presentation, it’s highly recommended to follow these procedures. McManigan Academy dancer, 15-year-old Mia Kearns already has a strong grip on the harsh reality. Without hesitation she says, “If you’re not really tanned then judges will automatically think you’re not as experienced as others and they won’t even give you a chance.” The Irish Dancing Commission may make attempts at preventing younger dancers from wearing excessive make up or flash costumes but for more experienced dancers, it’s an accepted way of life. Mia adds, “You kind of become desensitised to the glam.” Having already established that the importance of presentation has existed for many years, it begs the question: How far will a dancer be prepared to go?