Irish dancing a 'competitive sport'
Irish dancing is not all about little girls in wigs, tiaras and sequinned dresses – and one adult male dancer said he finds those preconceptions “annoying” and that people should realise it is a “competitive sport”.
David Bassett, 22, from Southampton, is competing in the Senior Men’s category next Saturday, and has recently returned from Azerbaijan where he was performing to crowds who “loved it” – an example, if it was needed, of the global appeal Irish dancing has garnered over the years.
A member of the Blair McCarthy school, he started aged 11 after watching Irish dancing megastar Michael Flatley on TV, and has previously been placed in the top 20 at world championship level, and ranked in second place at the Great Britain championships.
The dedicated dancer said he does not think the scale of the World Irish Dancing Championships, and the commitment required, is understood by people who do not have insider knowledge about the dance form.
“I think, unless you’re an Irish dancer, I don’t think people really understand. When I’m explaining it to people, I try to compare it to our version of the Olympics so they get some perspective on the size of it and how hard it is.
“It does take over a lot. I work my life around it. I have to request certain lectures so I can go to class in the evening. The same with my shifts at work - I have to base it all around dancing.”
Mr Bassett said controversy surrounding the glamour of Irish dancing – the expensive costumes, make-up, glitter and wigs – causes people to overlook the fact that dancers see it as a serious sport.
“It’s a bit annoying. I don’t really hear too much of it because I’m a boy, so obviously they never see me in a wig. The boys are not as glammed up as the girls.
“It’s annoying because people focus on that and compare it to beauty pageants and everything, when we’re more doing it for a sport – it’s a competitive sport - and they do forget all the hard work that goes into it,” he said.
When asked how he thinks the Irish dancing world would change if it was stripped back and female dancers wore plain dresses and hung up their wigs, he said: “It would be interesting to see if the outcomes were different. I know dresses do make an impression because it’s the first thing you see when they walk on stage.
“So if you see someone in an amazing dress, you’re automatically going to think before they’ve even started dancing, ’Oh, they’re going to be good’. So I think that stereotype is pretty influential.
“But I think it gives the kids confidence as well, especially the younger ones. If they go on in a really pretty dress they’re going to feel more confident on stage, so it kind of works both ways.”
Not only does Mr Bassett spend hours practising his dances, he also has to train to keep fit and to ensure his body is in top condition.
“There’s lots of stuff people don’t realise that we have to do to get core strength. There’s a lot of weights I do at the gym on my legs, a lot of abdominal work as well,” he said.
Mr Bassett started dancing when he was 11-years-old – which is a relatively late age to start Irish dancing.
“I always liked watching it on the TV – the shows like Lord Of The Dance,” he said.
“It just kind of took my fancy, I guess. I liked the idea of the rhythm.”
In those few moments before he performs, Mr Bassett said he goes “into a zone”, and said the night before is often “sleepless”.
“When I’m side stage I just go into a zone. I don’t really talk to anyone. I think you’re just too focused on your steps to think about anything else,” he said.
He added: “I don’t get nervous about dancing. I get more nervous about the pressure of the outcome. You want it so much, and it’s out of your hands. All you can do is do your best.”
Mr Bassett, a student of creative writing at the University of Winchester, has toured Europe in Irish dancing shows including ‘Celtic Legends’, In ‘Love With The Dance’ and ‘Spirit Of Ireland’.
