No make-up for Irish dancers under 10, but fake tan is OK

The false tan can stay.

Irish dancing chiefs, who have introduced a ban, including false eyelashes, on make-up for girls competing up to under-10 level, have stopped short of banning the application of artificial tan on the legs and faces of competitors.

But the Irish Dancing Commission admitted yesterday that it was hoping that parents and dance teachers would ‘pull back’ on the heavy use of false tan.

The commission confirmed that the use of tan in open level competition would continue to be allowed — even for under-10 level. It is already banned for beginners and novice grade-level dancers up to age 12.

“What we are hoping is that parents and teachers will pull it back,” said commission public relations officer, Dearbhla Lennon. “I put forward the motion myself about the make-up and that is now being introduced, but I felt it’d be too much to go the whole way with the false tan and all the rest of it.

“I am an Irish dance teacher and my children wear a little pair of light-coloured tights and everybody is happy with that.

“We are taking baby steps here and I suppose it’s really a question of taste — we are after all a child-based organisation,” Ms Lennon said.

From Mar 1, a blanket rule will be introduced banning the wearing of make-up by all children under the age of 10.

Ms Lennon said that age 10 was regarded as an appropriate cut-off point because it was felt that from age 11 or 12 onwards, girls would be starting to dabble in make-up anyway. “There has been very little opposition from parents really. In my dancing class I have come up quite a lot with opposition from parents who don’t wish to put make-up on their children.

“But, I suppose the playing field is not level. If you have one child who has a nice dusting of blusher and looks quite healthy on a stage with bright lights next to a very pale child, that’s not a level playing field, so any parent would want their child to look as good as the next,” she said.

On the possibility of outlawing the wearing of elaborate, curly wigs, Ms Lennon said she did not think she would go so far as to propose such a ban.

“I remember as a child myself having to get rollers put into my hair the night before a competition and even having to go to Mass in them.

“It resulted in a lot of screaming matches at home and the wigs take all that away, so I don’t think I would ban them,” she said.