Since the beginning of Riverdance in 1994, the phenomenon of Irish dance has spread across the globe like wildfire. While the bright cultural history of modern Irish dance began as a social function after the founding of the Gaelic League in 1893, today Irish dance is one of the most competitive dance sports in the world.
For Irish dancer Taylor Reardigan Irish dance is more than a sport, it is her lifelong passion.
“The first style of dance I fell in love with was Irish dancing, because of Riverdance. I loved the curly hair, the quick movements, the sound of the hard shoes and the pretty dresses,” said Reardigan. “Ever since my first Irish dancing class at the age of 6, I was in the studio at least five days a week.”
With most dance competitors practicing for several hours a day often seven days a week, a dancer who wants to compete in the high-stakes competitions like Taylor Reardigan will need to not only train daily, but they must also be the student of an accredited Irish dance teacher.
“I trained with the Mattierin School of Irish Dancing for 10 years and then when I moved to Calgary, Alberta I began dancing with the Irwin School of Irish Dancing, explained Reardigan. “When I moved to New York I danced with the Neil O’leary School of Irish Dance.”
While many Irish dancing competitors train endlessly in hopes of making it to the World Irish Dancing Championships, only 1 % of dancers in the world make it to the coveted competition, and Reardigan is one of them.
“I progressed very fast and quickly began winning almost all of my competitions. Then before I knew it I was qualifying for the World Irish Dancing Championships and traveling all over the world for Irish dancing competitions,” said Reardigan.
In fact this talented young dancer has competed at the championship, often referred to as ‘worlds’, two times so far, and both times she has finished in the top 20, a major accomplishment.
Although Irish dance, much like most forms of professional and competitive dance, require dancers who are able to execute their movements with precision and perfect rhythm, there are many differences that separate this form of dance from the rest of the world’s dance style.
“Irish dancing is completely different than any other style of dance especially technique wise. Your feet need to constantly be over crossed, not just turned out but literally over crossed, we do everything on our toes without any support from our shoes and our feet move very fast” explained Reardigan. “The biggest difference though is that we never move our arms. They are right by our side for the entire dance number.”
Reardigan’s magical and fast moving feet have made her a force to be reckoned with in the world of competitive Irish dancing. Over the course of her career as an Irish dancer, Taylor Reardigan has garnered an extensive list of awards including 13th at the World Irish Dancing Championships in Belfast, Ireland, 15th at the World Irish Dancing Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, 1st place in the Championship Qualifier in Palm Springs, California, 1st place in the Championship Qualifier in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and many more.
With grace and skill Taylor Reardigan has clearly made a name for herself as one of the top dancers in the world of competitive Irish dance.