Dancing Back In Time
Childhood hobbies bring us so much joy, but all too often we let them slip. Catherine Wylie reignites her dancing passion, in a masterclass with the stars of Riverdance
It’s all coming back to me. My toes are pointed, my feet are turned out, and beads of sweat are running down my face.
I’m being taught the main routine in Riverdance by one of the show’s lead stars – an opportunity the six-year-old me, who watched the show repeatedly on video tape throughout the Nineties, would have died for.
I’m in the Liffey Trust Dance Studios in Dublin, where Riverdance stars hone their art, just a skip and a jump from where it all began as a seven-minute interval act at The Eurovision Song Contest at the ‘Point Depot’ Theatre back in 1994.
That night changed everything. Irish dancing became sensational. Jaws dropped, audience members gasped, and composer Bill Whelan’s music made hairs on millions of necks stand on end. People hadn’t seen anything like it before, and as the final bars came to a euphoric climax, they shrieked with delight, leaping out of their seats and clapping for what seemed like forever.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only child who hotfooted down to the nearest Irish dancing school, kick-starting a passion that would continue right through my teenage years.
However, I allowed my well-loved hobby to drift after turning 18, and it’s as a rather unfit 26-year-old that I’m invited to take part in a masterclass with the Riverdance stars, to celebrate the show’s upcoming 20th anniversary tour.
As a fledgling dancer those 20 years ago, I pretended I was in Riverdance. I put my hands on my hips like the girls, and held my arms out in a show of power like the boys. I’d rewind my VHS, over and over again, in a bid to get the intricate footwork just right. And no matter how many times I heard the music, I’d never get tired of it.
Two decades on, Riverdance continues to thrill audiences worldwide and young dancers still dream of one day making it into the cast. And while my own Riverdance dreams might be unattainable now, throwing some shapes with the cast in their rehearsal studio is not a bad second-best.
I haven’t put on my dancing shoes in about seven years, so lacing them up, I hope that getting back into the groove is going to be like riding a bike. Thankfully it is. As the super-talented Emma Warren, one of the principal dancers in Riverdance, embarks on teaching me the show’s most famous routine, I find my feet and legs naturally do the right thing.
It makes me feel very happy. Even that little step I can’t quite get doesn’t leave me frustrated – I know I’ll get it with a bit of practise.
People quit hobbies for various reasons. I gave up Irish dancing because life got in the way. I had moved to a new city for university, and other pursuits had to take priority. But with my dancing pumps on, my posture straightened, my toes pointed and my legs kicked high, it feels like I have wrapped myself in an old cosy blanket bringing back wonderful memories.
Going back to an old hobby that once brought us so much pleasure – or indeed taking up an entirely new pastime – can be a real mood-enhancer. It reminds us of a time in our lives when we were content, and we were achieving something. In the case of trying something new, the act of challenging ourselves and moving out of our comfort zone shows that we can do anything we put our minds to.
Being part of a community that is passionate about something also battles loneliness and forms an avenue of relaxation. We all have to work, but we need play too.
Dancing alongside Emma feels wonderful. Her patient teaching and encouragement means I never want the masterclass to end – I want to learn the entire show!
I have to stop a few times for water breaks, of course. Irish dancing is fast and furious, and the short bursts of cardiovascular activity get my heart pumping fast. The show’s lead dancers can often lose several pounds of weight during just one performance.
But because I’m having so much fun, it doesn’t really feel like I’m doing exercise. I’m just doing something I love.
I leave the class wanting to return to Irish dancing, and with a number of adult classes around the UK, we can all get tapping and kicking if we really want to.
The Riverdance pros tell me that while some of the dancers also go running to keep fit, their main work outside of dance is on core training. Irish dancers tend to have beautifully sculpted bodies, with athletic legs and enviably toned tummies. As a way to keep fit and stay trim, I can’t think of a better hobby.
As I settle into my seat in Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre to watch the show later on, tears well in my eyes as ‘that’ music, the soundtrack of my life for so many years, blasts out.
It gets better every time I see it, and rouses the same butterflies and wow-factor as it did that night back in 1994.
I think it’s time for me to start dancing again. What will you do?
:: Riverdance is at The Gaiety Theatre in Dublin until August 31. The Riverdance 20th anniversary UK tour runs from September 2 until December 13. For full dates and locations, visit www.riverdance.com
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