Triumphs and tears of the dancing elite
Ringletted hair pieces, €2,000 dresses, fake tan, make-up and sequinned socks are all part of uniform for 10-year-old girls flying halfway around the world to perform at the World Irish Dancing Championships.
While millions have been wowed by Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, the new BBC film, Jig, is the first time the controlling body of international competitive Irish dancing has allowed an outsider look behind their normally closed doors.
Director Sue Bourne said she jumped at the chance to make a film on the championships, which attracted 6,000 dancers from around the world.
She said: “I may have known nothing about Irish dance but going into a new and unknown world is something you’re always looking for as a filmmaker.
“It is even more interesting when the people in this world are driven, dedicated and ambitious and when the dancers wear weird ornate clothes, diamantés, make-up, tans and dresses costing thousands.
“It’s a world with tears, tension and dramas and winners and losers, success and failure.”
The beautifully shot film, examines what compels children to practice obsessively for 364 days for their few tension-filled minutes in the limelight looking for a coveted world title.
Ms Bourne said Irish dancing decided to throw their doors open to a new audience to attract a new generation of dancers.
She said: “We wanted to reflect the global reach of Irish dancing. It is now being embraced in Russia, Europe, the Far East, South America and Africa.
“We used stories from around the world to make the film work. It was fascinating to move from country to country and see Irish dance in all the different locations with all these very different dancers.”
In the film, parents candidly reveal how they have to spend thousands on flights and costumes and one mother admitted to re-mortgaging her house so her daughter could continue to compete for an elusive world title.
In the highly entertaining Jig, the cameras follow redheaded 10-year-old Derry girl Brogan McCay and her American dance rival, Julia O’Rourke, as they prepare for their dance finals on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
Brogan’s mother, Carole McCay,, talked about the huge investment.
“Any money myself and Darren have is spent on Brogan and her Irish dancing. I haven’t had a holiday since 2004 — since Brogan started dancing,” she said with a laugh.
Her dedicated little girl, who bagged a world title, tells of her deep love of the Irish steps despite missing out on many childhood treats.
“I dance for my granny and my mummy and daddy because they put so much money into it. It’s unbelievable.
Her American rival, Julia O’Rourke, said she tries to practise as much as Brogan.
She said: “Brogan is very nice even though she keeps beating me. I try to do as much as she does. I always look at YouTube to see how she’s dancing and to perfect it the way she does it.”
But off the dance floor the two little girls are good pals and keep regular contact over Facebook.
Director Sue Bourne said she ended up being highly impressed by the foot-perfect Irish dancing scene.
She said: “It’s about children and families and about joy and heartbreak and about parental love and sacrifice and teachers who devote their lives to dance and the dancers.”
Jig will be shown on BBC2 on Thursday, September 1 at 9pm.
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