Viral US Irish dancer invited to dance in St Patrick's day parade
An American dancer who went viral with a video of herself Irish dancing to a song by rapper Megan Thee Stallion has been invited to dance at next year's St Patrick's Day parade by the Taoiseach.
Morgan Bullock from Virginia uploaded a video of her dance on Tik Tok and Twitter over the weekend where it has been viewed almost 330,000 times.
The video has been shared on Twitter over 10,000 times, including by Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles.
this remix has no business being this hard 😩😤 pic.twitter.com/JZQh0jvtg5
— Morgan Bullock (@Morrghan) May 2, 2020
While the video received huge praise, the championship dancer who attends the Baffa Academy of Irish Dance, was accused by some of not being a "legitimate" Irish dancer and of cultural appropriation.
Morgan said that while she knows she should not pay attention to internet trolls, she felt as though she needed to defend herself.
"If you think that a black girl Irish dancing is some form or cultural appropriation, then you clearly don't know much about Irish dance and what it become over the years," Morgan wrote on Twitter.
"There are Irish dance schools all over the world, including Mexico, China and Africa. It has become a very widespread sport in which participants become immersed in the culture, whether or not it is their own based on ethnicity.
"Irish dance has taken me all over the world. I have been to Ireland multiple times and I was met with so much love and support.
"I am good at what I do and I am proud to be a competitive Irish dancer."
After having to defend herself from online abuse, Morgan received hundreds of messages of support from well known figures from Ireland and beyond.
Ireland's Embassy to the United States wrote: "We can tell you how fortunate we feel to have such talent here devote themselves to Irish dancing. You are better than good at what you do. And are a credit to both our nation and yours."
Retweeting her video, the Embassy wrote: "Morgan, the way your feet glide, you make the impossibly difficult look east!"
Some of the greatest innovations in Irish dance have come in the US, fusing traditional forms & modern rhythms. Morgan Bullock, of Virginia & the Baffa Academy of Irish Dance, is a case in point. And Morgan, the way your feet glide, you make the impossibly difficult look easy! https://t.co/WkfeD3vnKY
— Embassy of Ireland, USA (@IrelandEmbUSA) May 4, 2020
This evening, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also shared her video and extended an invitation to Morgan for next year's St Patrick's Day parade.
"Some brilliant moves there," Mr Varadkar wrote. "Hope you can dance in Ireland for St Patrick's Day 2021.
"We'd love to have you over."
Maith thú @Morrghan! Some brilliant moves there. Hope you can dance in Ireland for St Patrick’s Day 2021. We’d love to have you over. https://t.co/5Psqz6s9CG
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 5, 2020
Responding to the invitation, Morgan said: "Oh wow, what an offer!! Thank you so so much for the kind words and support."
Today, Morgan thanked everyone for the support and encouragement she had received and also shared a video "for those of you who prefer to see a treble jig to real Irish music".
