Irish dancing: what’s the harm in a bit of sparkle?

I was having lunch last Sunday in a hotel in Killarney, so it was no surprise to see girls in T-shirts and leggings munching toasties with their parents. If I told you that this hotel happens to be within skipping distance of the hotel where the All-Ireland Dancing Championships were being held, you probably would not be surprised to hear that several of those girls also happened to be wearing Marie Antoinette-style wigs, lots of make-up, and fake tan.

 

I watched two of them dart from their table to the window to the TV and to the bar, all giggles and excitement, glowing in the attention they were attracting from the other Sunday diners. The fact that they also glowed from the unseasonal tone of their skin seemed beside the point. Their wigs soared high above their heads, towering in layer upon layer of golden curls; their eyelids shone turquoise blue, fringed with impossibly long lashes; their cheeks gleamed, pink and rosy.

 

Personally, I would ditch the fake tan, as the complexion of a young girl is enough to make a woman of my vintage cry with envy, but I have my doubts that the powder and paint are turning the world of Irish dancing into a beauty pageant. In the end, winning or losing in an Irish dancing competition is still a question of skill, and if the costumes and make-up can be a bit over-the-top or garish, surely that just adds to the theatre of the event.

 

 

I know the powers that be have introduced a ban on make-up for girls under ten competing in Irish dancing competitions, but that they still allow the use of false tan in competitions because they are hoping that parents and dance teachers themselves will gradually ease off on the heavy use of bronze tints.

 

And in the end, I  believe that's what it all boils down to: responsible adults should know how much is too much for their young dancers, but since they want to ensure their child’s hard work stands out on stage and a bit of sparkle gives them an edge, I can't see the harm.

 

The two dancers I saw in Killarney were princesses for the day. They owned that room and they loved it.