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World Irish Dance championships to be held in Dublin - VIDEO

Over 4,500 dancers will include 1,000 from the US.

By
JANE WALSH,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Friday, April 15, 2011, 1:49 PM
Updated Friday, April 15, 2011, 1:49 PM

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Irish dancers
Irish dancers
Photo by Google Images


Read more: Lisa Murphy prepares for World Irish Dancing Championships

Over 4.500 dancers including over 1,000 from North America are scheduled to take part in the world Irish dance championships which will beheld on April 17 to 24th in Dublin.

The venue will be the Citywest Hotel in the West of the city and the official opening ceremony will be performed by Irish president Mary McAleese.

Up to 30,000 spectators are expected to attend during the week long event which will climax with the prize giving ceremonies at the weekend.

There are 62 competition categories in all from senior men and  women down to top dancers in the 12-13 age group for both men and women.

The week long jamboree of Irish dance will feature competition in every age group for men and women with dancers from five continents, Australia, the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia expected to be involved.

Irish dancers from America will attend from over 30 states and form as far away as California and Hawaii.
The worldwide attendance is another tribute to the extraordinary growth of Irish dancing since the ‘Riverdance’ and ‘Lord of the Dance’ shows which put Irish dancing on the map world-wide.

“Lord of the dance’ creator Michael Fatley may well attend part of the championship and he has been a valued guest in the past.

Read more: Lisa Murphy prepares for World Irish Dancing Championships

Footage from the 2010 Championship:

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6 Comments

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GeorgeDillon | Apr 12, 2011, 02:52 PM EDT
I learnt a little Irish dancing as a kid. I'm sorry I didn't keep it up. For the few guys who do Irish dancing, they are in a small minority as compared to the girls. Now they're the kind of odds I like--outnumbered 10 or 15 to one by young ladies in their early twenties. You could do the Siege of Ennis with a different one every nite!

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jacersagain | Apr 11, 2011, 03:44 PM EDT
PS on hairstyle – this time that of the boys’: When I was doing Irish dancing, my mother would use Brylcream to put a quiff in my hair for the competitions! I hated the stuff! But - Tanks be ta Gawd - didn’t someone invent Hair & Shoulders...! >>> BTW – for anyone who thinks boys doing Irish dancing are “sissy” – let me tell you that Irish dancing is no easy thing... my years doing this dancing made me exceptionally fit and developed my leg muscles so strongly that they served me well when I became an Inter-county GAA footballer and a very fast track athlete. I still enjoy a great bit o’ Ceili dancing.

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jacersagain | Apr 11, 2011, 03:29 PM EDT
@ katieherk – good question re the wigs. When my sisters were little girls participating in Irish dancing, our mother used to go through great lengths to curl their hair into ringlets for the competitions (and for every Sunday Mass!). No wigs back then. The sight of dancing girls – as seen in the video above, upper body straight, arms straight by their sides, with all the toe-dancing and high kicks being done by the legs only from the hips down (the Art of Irish Dancing), beautiful dresses bouncing to their dance steps - was hugely enhanced by bobbing curled ringlets back then and may have influenced judges’ markings! Would love to know why Americans continue with that old style – Riverdance style seems now to be the “in” thing – you know what I mean: relaxed style of dancing, arms a-swinging, natural hair bounces. Good luck to all taking part in the World Championships & Cead Mile Failte to me oul’ home city this coming week. Enjoy Dublin and the dancing!

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katieherk | Apr 11, 2011, 01:59 PM EDT
IF ONLY THEY'RE GET RID OF THE UGLY WIGS... THEY USED TO LOOK SO NEAT WITHOUT THEM. WHY WAS IT STARTED?

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PhlutiePhan | Apr 11, 2011, 01:46 PM EDT
I am always enthused by aspects of the Riverdance phenomenon.

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GeorgeDillon | Apr 11, 2011, 01:23 PM EDT
I wish them every success, but they should know that most Irish people sneer at Irish dancing. Of course that just shows what fools the Irish are.

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