Think of Irish dance, and you’ll probably conjure a mental image of Michael Flatley and the Riverdance crew tapping their toes in time like a perfectly timed clockwork dance troupe. The lavish traditional outfits, the lights and the magnificent stage, this is how most of the world first became exposed to traditional Irish dance.
But if you were to wander the streets of Dublin, what would the dancing look like?
Well, as it happens, you can find dancing right there on the streets!
Temple Bar is the cultural centre of Dublin. You’d be hard pressed not to find live performances by musicians, street artists, and of course it wouldn’t be Ireland if it weren’t for the love of the dance. In a rollicking performance, the dance crew known as the Fusion Fighters took to the streets to wow the Temple Bar passers-by.
All clad in their hard tapping shoes, they each take their turn on the wooden boards.
As we can quickly see, the name “Fusion Fighters” derives from the crew’s eclectic mixing of various modern dance styles and dress with traditional Irish dance. Their goal: that they have “branched away from what has become the typical Irish dance experience in order to evolve for a modern audience while still preserving their traditions.”
They could be flying!
One thing that has remained very true to traditional Irish dance is how the dancers are able to move their feet at lightning pace, tapping their toes light as feathers, yet with such forceful percussion that you have to wonder if they’re levitating in place.
They’re having so much dang fun!
What takes their performance away from the formal performative element and toward the folksy style, is the hand-off style of turn-taking. One dancer will take the stage for a moment before handing it over to the other with a clap.
An eclectic approach to traditional performance in every way.
It seems like there are dancers from all disciplines. Some bring a hipster swag, some a rocker vibe, but regardless of the individual flavor they bring, they also bring the heat! Every single performer provides a no-holes-barred approach to their routine, all moving perfectly in-sync and faster than light itself.
Some traditional moves still kick high.
Traditional Irish dance, including the styles involving soft shoes known as ghillies, involve high-flying kicks which show incredible balance, flexibility and coordination. As if they weren’t already impressing the audience’s socks off!
It doesn’t stop at the kick either.
Not to be contented with one amazing move, one dancer takes it to yet another level. As if ballet experience is in her arsenal of moves, this dancer continues her incredibly fast tapping…on her toes! Well, I have never seen anyone tap dance en pointe before! And that’s only in the first minute and a half of the clip!
The transitions aren’t always smooth however…
With so many small groups of dancers coming and going, it’s no surprise that sometimes there may be a collision or two. It’s just a little bump as one of the dancers backs up, and another one hops onto the board. A quick recovery, and they’re back to tapping!
When the whole crew hops in, it’s amazing coordination.
Every one of the large group of dancers each tap their shoes perfectly in-time and in-synch. This is the sort of spectacle that made the likes of Michael Flatley so popular, and you can bet that any wanderers by Temple Bar on this day were in for a real treat.
Watch the full video below to enjoy these marvelous dancers!
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