Michael Flatley and his Riverdance phenomenon catapulted traditional Irish step dancing into the annals of pop culture. But, Flatley’s got nothing on my 2-year-old.
My daughter loves to dance. Ever since she saw Elmo make like Michael Flatley on TV, there’s been no stopping her pint-sized body from jiggling uncontrollably. Couple that with her obsession with ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” (she spins around the house insisting that she is doing the “cha cha cha” and the “wumba”) and I was compelled to reach for the phone to call an agent (just kidding–I called our local dance studio).
I wanted to sign my daughter up for Irish dance lessons (my dad is part Irish), but I was told that because of the dance’s popularity all of the classes were full. HUH? Wait a minute. Didn’t Riverdance burst on the scene in the mid 90s? That was a decade ago… and classes are still full?
It’s true (at least in our area). Forget about pink tutus, tight hair buns, and Swan Lake, little girls around here are apparently more interested in ringlets and elaborately embroidered green dresses. Irish dancing is huge and I wanted to know why.
Sure, we live near a community that hosts the largest Irish festival in North America, but there are also at least a half a dozen schools in the area (all filled to capacity). I don’t know. Perhaps, it was my timing–calling to enroll in Irish dance class two weeks before St. Patrick’s Day—may not have been the best move.
In any event, I did find out that when a spot does become available, my daughter would also receive lessons about the Irish culture, learn to sing Irish songs, get in a great workout, and have “a ton” of fun. I also learned that if she excels at the steps she might have a chance to train for international competition in Ireland.
Finally, before hanging up the phone I also learned a very startling fact about Irish dancing—it isn’t cheap. Lessons cost between $600 and $1000 a year. Mind you that price doesn’t include practice shoes, which run about $50, or performance shoes, which will set you back around $100. And, remember those pretty embroidered dresses I mentioned earlier? A single performing dress for a child my daughter’s age averages about $500. But the solo dress, which features all the glittery bells and whistles– something every student will need eventually—-those go for about $1000. (I know what you parents of Irish dancers are saying: “It’s worth every penny.”)
And, here I thought the Irish dance craze was over.
Do you have a young Irish dancer in your family?
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