“Cotton-Eyed Joe” by the Rednex is a song that everyone has heard before. Whether you love or hate the song is another question. It’s one of those tunes that can easily get stuck in your head for days on end. However, just when we thought that Ol’ Cotton-Eyed was finally becoming a thing of the past, an Irish Dance group brought it back into our lives in spectacular fashion.
It’s a song that you would never expect to be able to do an Irish jig too.
Yet, the students from Maguire Academy of Irish Dance in Dallas, Texas proved that it is definitely possible. They stepped to the stage at the North Texas Irish Festival and the Rednex track immediately began playing. Everyone started cheering and the dancers led the crowd in a clap to set the tempo.
All of the students lined up and soon began tap dancing around the stage.
One by one, the boys and girls took turns stepping up front and center to show off their moves. Each of them did their dance slightly differently.
It was a sight to see.
Some of them just had some crazy tapping footwork, some of them kicked their legs high up into the air, and the smallest boy on stage surprised everyone when he did a funny version of a Moonwalk.
However, that wasn’t even the biggest surprise.
About halfway through the performance, the students all put on black sunglasses and the music suddenly changed. The track switched to none other than “Gangnam Style” by Psy — the dance favorite that has inspired dancers all over the world.
It was a really goofy transition but the crowd loved it. Everyone erupted into laughter and cheers. While it was a cool twist to the performance, it didn’t actually last very long. Within 30 seconds the dancers transitioned back to Irish Dance and the original “Cotton-Eyed Joe” song.
They appear to be mostly doing Irish stepdance, a form of dance that involves keeping your upper body stiff while moving your feet in intricate patterns.
The speed at which their feet move is nothing short of incredible.
We know we wouldn’t be able to move that fast. The stepdance style was popularized by famous shows such as Riverdance that began back in the early nineties. The hard heeled shoes that are worn for this type of dance cause tapping sounds to be made that go along with the beat of the song.
At one point, the students switched to a partner dance temporarily where they swung each other round and round in circles too.
Of course, the whole thing was choreographed perfectly.
All of the students were in complete unison with one another and exactly on tempo throughout the whole performance.
It’s no shocker that they finished to roaring applause from everyone in attendance that day. People online loved the performance as well. Since the video of their dance was posted on YouTube, it has accumulated over a million views and thousands of likes. If you are a lover of Irish Dance, it’s something that you simply have to check out for yourself.
Watch the full video of the students performing the “Cotton-Eyed Joe” Irish Dance below.
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