Rising costs threatening the future
of Irish dance
 By staff
reporter
Parents are becoming outraged at the spiralling costs of keeping their
kids in competitive Irish dancing events.
It’s no secret that the costs involved with Irish dancing are extremely
high but according to many parents the situation is getting even worse.
One mother from Birmingham whose daughter was dancing at championship
level for six years said she had to put an end to the ‘hobby’
as she could not afford the costs any longer.
She said: “It’s not just the cost of the dress, wig and accessories
— it’s also the cost of travelling to competitions, staying
for a few nights in the hotel, meals and transport costs. Competitions
are held all over Europe and in America so you have to pay for the price
of flights to these countries too.
“We just couldn’t do it anymore. Every year Kate had to get
a new dress as she would grow out of her old one. I now have a dress worth
£1,000 sitting upstairs that I can’t sell. What a waste.”
Over recent years image has become an increasingly important and expensive
aspect of competitive Irish dancing.
In addition to paying for lessons some parents are spending up to the
price of a used car to ensure that their daughter looks as well as she
dances.
According to founder of the O’Malley Irish Dance Academy Maureen
O’Malley-Byrnes, it has become a sport for the rich.
She said: “We hold a fundraiser each year to try and give back some
of the costs. But girls who go out for the solo competitions are becoming
extremely extravagant.”
Carolyn Conroy who has run the Irish Dancer Catalogue, a specialist clothing
and accessory company for Irish dancers since 1980, said some costumes
have reached the point of ridiculousness.
She said: “Its gone too Las Vegas. You’ve got people buying
raw silk costumes. They don’t last, so you can’t sell them
on and they cost a fortune. Parents are putting their kids in full competition
dresses when they barely know how to dance.”
Another mother whose two daughters aged 10 and 11 were banned from participating
in the Ulster Dance Championship in Derry because they refused to wear
a wig believes this marks the demise of Ireland’s cultural heritage.
She said: “Irish dancers as young as four years of age are being
asked to wear make-up, false tan and sock glue lest their socks should
crease while dancing.”
The Irish Dancing Commission was asked to comment on this issue but failed
to respond.
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